Silent Music
by Brigette Janine
Summary: Krystal Cyra is a mute flutist in a travelling circus. Her life makes a complete 180 when she encounters a group of akuma, and finds a friend in the silent, mysterious Kanda. KandaxOC. R&R please!
1. Prologue

EDIT 2/27/11: Hey there readers! Guess what? I'm not dead! If you're reading this, that means that I am, or very soon will be, back from my hiatus. And just in time for Silent Music's first birthday! The reason for my massive (and in my opinion somewhat needed and also somewhat unexcusabe) absence is conatined herewithin. Every chapter is getting a makeover for grammar, consistency and all around better-ness. I should have a brand-spanking new (if all goes well) chapter by Friday. I hope.

So enjoy the new, updated chapters. Every edited chapter will have a little notice up top, saying what's changed, etc. If it doesn't have one, it hasn't been edited yet, but stay posted, because it will be.

Much Love,  
~~BJ

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Woohoo! New story! Well, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Brigette Janine and this is my second feature-length fic. I have a general rule that I try to please the reviwers, so if you have an objection, comment, or just like the story, write a review or PM me, I don't bite.

Discalimer: No matter how much I wish, I don't own anything related to DGM. I _do_ own Krystal, that's about it.

So let's get this show on the road. (This first parts a bit graphic, featuring foreshadowing character death. Most of the story will be rated a strong T for language and all the violence that comes with being an Exorcist.)

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Prologue

Krystal lay in the cold snow, her many cuts and burns staining the snow red. Her auburn hair fanned out like a flaming halo.

Skinn Boric stomped closer to her. He took a playing card from his jacket pocket, "Krystal Cyra," he read. He looked at the girl's face, "Is that you?"

"And what if it is, ugly?" she retorted, feeling her fire draining quickly, spilling into the freshly fallen snow.

"Then I guess you die now." He grabbed her by the throat, "Destroying you and your Innocence will be easy."

As he squeezed her throat and black spots formed in front of her eyes, she heard a crashing through the woods. As the sound got closer, the Noah's nails dug into her flesh, cutting the delicate vessels and tissues that ran through her neck.

Skinn's hand jerked back, taking out a bloody portion of her throat. Krystal gasped futilely as she watched her own blood spill out onto her chest. The crashing got closer and he turned around, scanning the woods. He dropped the handful of flesh, a twinkle of green innocence peeking out from the red. "How does it feel to die, little exorcist girl?" He looked around as the crashing became still closer, and retreated back into the woods, blending into the shadows.

As a permanent darkness began to creep around her vision, she felt a pair of callused hands grasp hers. "Krystal," he whispered. She looked up, trying to focus her violet eyes on the stormy blue ones above her. She smiled one last time, signing weakly into her friend's hand, _Kanda_.

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Wow, that's pathetically short and teasing. Come back for more!

Again, please review...not that there's all that much to review...

Happy Easter and I'll see you sometime artound next week!

~~Brigette Janine


	2. Mute in a circus

EDIT 2/27/11 Hey look, another edited chapter! Basically, I changed the wording at some points so it sounded better. No biggie.

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_SQUEE! A thousand thank yous and chibi Lavis to everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted this! It was an under 500 word prologue and I got 4 reviews, 3 favs and 4 alerts. I feel loved._

_This chapter is especially dedicated to my lovely friend Mysterious Victoria. Happy Birthday, Hawkeye._

_The beginning of the story takes place about a year and a half before the start of manga/anime. Krystal's 15 and Daisya is 17 and Kanda is 16. In the moyashi world, Allen has been training under Cross for about a year._

_And that's everything except for the fact that if I owned DGM, we would have learned about Kanda a lot sooner._

_Enjoy..._

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_Two years previously_

Krystal lay on her bed in the wagon she shared with three other girls. She had been part of a travelling circus for almost seven years now, ever since her family had been killed, the circus had taken her in. She wasn't a talent, like Dannie and Dara, whose act was a combination of acrobatics and dancing, or an actor like James, who had memorized most of Shakespeare's plays. She conducted the small band that played for acts that needed them and sometimes played the flute on her own.

She had been born on a farm in Ukraine with her older brother Michael and her parents. She was born a mute, so her parents had taught her a special sign language to use. Soon, her entire village knew it, so she could "talk" to anyone. The village had been small, only about two hundred people, so they all knew her well. Her father had carved her a flute from the ash tree that grew on the farm. She played it at festivals and celebrations, sometimes forgetting that she couldn't speak.

Seven years ago, her parents had sent her and her friend Katie to the city to pick up supplies for the farm. When they had arrived, they found the village in ruins and everyone dead. All that was left of the people was a pile of dust and their clothes.

Katie and Krystal had set out together, intent on finding somewhere to stay. On the third day, they had come across the travelling circus. The ring master and leader, Charles, had allowed them to join. Katie worked as a maid and cook, and Krystal as a musician. They bunked in the same wagon, along with Dannie and Dara, two dancers. That was seven years ago, she had been eight. Now, at the age of fifteen, she commanded the respect, if not admiration of most of the performers in the camp.

Katie barged in on Krystal's reminiscences. "Come on, Krys. You've got work to do."

Krystal huffed out a breath, blowing a strand of auburn hair out of her face. She thrust he hand out from her bed and made a spinning motion, meaning _what?_

"We open tonight and Charlie needs help setting up the main tent. He also needs someone to calm down the new horse. He's still skittish around the camels, and almost busted Jack's jaw." Katie always referred to the ringmaster as Charlie simply for the joy of irritating him.

Krystal grabbed her flute and signed to Katie, _I'll go calm down the horse, then I'll warm up the rest of the musicians._

"Sounds good to me," she said, and left the wagon, going to do another errand for the ringmaster. Because she had grown up with Krystal, Katie recognized the tiny inflections her friend's hand made when she was bored or irritated.

Krystal hopped down out of the wagon into the hustle that accompanied any travelling circus. The air was filled with the smell of horses, camels, makeup, kerosene, wood smoke and sweat. There were sounds of advertising, arguing shouting and cursing in a cacophony of languages. The shouts of men were accompanied by a counterpoint of pig squeals, chicken squawks, horse whinnies and dog barks. Though rough around the edges, the group of twenty wagons and four large tents was her home.

She set off for the area where the horses were picketed. She approached the dark stallion set apart from the others. His eyes were wide and rolling as he reared up as she got closer. She put her hands up and shushed him softly. She put the flute to her lips and began playing a calming song. As she played, the horse stopped rearing and became placid. His ears drooped and his eyes became doleful. She smiled and handed him a sugar cube from her pocket. She looked into his eyes and studied them, as if trying to read his thoughts. She had always had a way with animals. It was as though sharing their muteness allowed her to understand them better.

She began to make her way back towards the center of their temporary camp, lost in her own thoughts. She was reviewing the program for tonight, and what the small instrumentals group would need to keep the audience captivated. She crossed the main thoroughfare of the camp, passing a wagon decked in purple, orange and green streamers. The door to the wagon slammed open, and a blond teen leapt off the top step of the wagon.

With a cry of "Krys," Arthur landed right next to Krystal and wrapped her in a bear hug. She jumped two feet in the air, but with her arms pinned to her side, she was unable to scold him for scaring her. Art let go and grinned a crooked smile. Krystal began signing him off and stated that in no uncertain terms that she was put out with him.

Arthur had joined the circus a year ago as a runaway. He had walked twenty miles carrying his upright bass on his back. Krystal had inducted him into the ranks of the small orchestra, and he had looked up to her ever since.

When she was done with her dissertation on how it really isn't nice to attack your conductor when she's deep in though and happens to be mute, she looked at him. As a peace offering, he gave her a bunch of wildflowers and a loaf of her favorite fresh-baked bread, nicked from the kitchen tents, no doubt. She smiled at him forgivingly, and led him to the rehearsal for tonight's show.

As the senior member of the musicians, Krystal was the undisputed leader of the section, ruling over them like an queen. It didn't matter that she didn't vocalize the key changes they were making for Dara's solo, they all knew her sign language so well, even when she made signs up, they understood.

After making a few minor changes and running the course of the show twice, they broke for an early supper before the crowds arrived for the evening show. Krystal was munching on the bread Arthur had brought her when Charles, the ringmaster found her. Charles often forgot that Krystal was mute, and had a habit of not looking at her when he spoke.

"We're expecting a good turn out tonight, so you might want to move the orchestra back a bit. Also, did you go over the changes in Dara and Dannie's program? What about the stallion in the clearing? Is he stable? Because one of the mares is going to foal soon, and we need him to pick up the slack." He stopped, "Are you listening?" He turned to see her signing furiously to keep up with him. "Oh."

Krystal recapped, telling him that everything was under control and taken care of. With a few words of approval, Charles left her to finish her meal before the first crowds began to form.

Arthur was selling tickets to the forming crowd, talking faster than most people could understand, requiring Katie to clamp her hand over his mouth to calm him down. He would look abashed and continue slower, until he began to pick up speed again. They shared a special bond unlike any other. Though they were often at each other's throats, each cared for another, like a sibling bond, only deeper.

Krystal stood up stretching her back before the anticipated two hours sitting and standing for the show. She arched her back backwards, and noticed three men coming through the forest. Normally, travelers coming through the woods to see the show were normal; they had set up signs along the path to point them towards the circus. These men were coming from the other side, out of the mountains.

The one who was their leader was a tall man with frizzy gray hair. He wore thick, square glasses and carried rolls of paper on his back, an artist. To his right was a shorter man dressed like a jester, or maybe a clown. His cloak was hooded, and at the end, a small sliver bell jingled merrily. There were purple designs around his eyes, like a jester's mask. He was chatting animatedly to the man behind him, who looked like he had no interest in the conversation. Almost a head taller than his travelling companion, his long black hair glinted almost blue in the fading light and his left hand rested comfortably on a sword hilt. He has a serious look on his face, but he was probably not older than 16. All three of them wore black coats, though each design was unique and the older man's coat had gold trimmings as opposed to the silver of the other two. As the group drew closer, she heard their voices.

"For the last time, Daisya," shouted the dark haired swordsman to the jester, "I have not, do not and will not at any time in the future consider cutting my hair."

"Aw, c'mon, Kanda," pleaded the one who was presumably Daisya, "it would look ok…maybe."

"No!" shouted Kanda.

"Will you two please stop arguing?" pleaded the older man, "You've been fighting for over two miles, and you're scaring away the birds."

"We're a few miles north of Athens," replied the older man. "Sorry about that, old man," said Daisya, stretching his arms and looking around, "so…where are we?"

Daisya made a choking sound, "We're still in Greece! We'll never make it to Headquarters before fall at this rate!"

"Daisya," Kanda cut across his companion's complaints.

"What?"

"Shut up."

"What?" he screeched incredulously, "You're telling me to shut up? Well, Mr. 'I don't talk to anyone because I'm to stoic and only concerned with akum-"

"Both of you, be quiet," their leader held up a hand calmly, and the two fell silent.

Kanda's relaxed grip on his sword tightened, "What is it, General?"

"I thought you both had realized by now," said the General mildly, "someone's watching us." He pointed towards the ahead of them, where, two hundred feet away, Krystal stood observing them silently.

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Heheheee. Cliffie.

So? What did you think? Review please, because reviews make me happy, like seeing chapter 193 online...muahahaha.

Stay classy, FanFic-ers!

~~BJ


	3. Something Wicked and Whatnot

Hey everyone, here's chapter two!! I really love this chapter mostly because I absolutely LOVE MacB (I'm a theatre person, it's cursed) and think....well, read and find out!

Ok, so my traffic was down from Wednesday to Monday, so I have absolutely NO IDEA how chapter one went over. Clear up my confusion by reviewing!  
Thanks to those who fav'd, alert'd and review'd a plenty last week. =)

Disclaimer: If I owned DGM, Krystal would be a character and it wouldn't be on hiatus....AGAIN. If I owned any part of MacB, I'd be fabulously rich. And I'm not.

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Krystal's eyes widened in shock. She didn't realize that she had been listening to their conversation.

Kanda slowly unsheathed his sword, "Akuma?" he asked.

"No," the general said slowly, "I don't think so." He beckoned to Krystal, "come here, girl."

Kanda's face hardened as Krystal slowly made her way towards the trio.

"What is your name, child?" he asked kindly, his dark eyes sparkling behind the thick glasses he wore.

Krystal bent down and wrote her name in the dirt. The general looked curiously at the name etched in soil and then the girl, "Can't you speak?" he asked.

Krystal shook her head and made the symbol for sign language.

Kanda scoffed, "Oh, great. The first person we see in a week, and she's a mute."

Krystal scowled and made to punch the annoyed look of his face. His dark hair whipped around as he grabbed her hand. He began to slowly squeeze her hand, forcing her to the ground. Kanda's grim look of disgust didn't change as Krystal started banging on the ground for him to let go.

"Yu!" barked the general sharply, "Can't you see you're hurting her? She's obviously not an akuma."

"She attacked me," he said disgustedly, throwing her hand to the ground, "and don't call me that."

Daisya snickered, "Good job, Kanda. Attacking an innocent girl. Real nice." He turned to Krystal, who was massaging her hand, "Don't mind him, he's just antisocial. I'm Daisya Barry, that's Kanda and this is our master, General Tiedoll."

"I was about to make introductions, Daisya," said General Tiedoll curtly.

"Beat ya to it, old man," Daisya cackled manically.

General Tiedoll sighed and turned to Krystal, "Now, where did you come from and-" he held her back as she bent down to write in the dirt, "I know sign language, it's ok."

Krystal explained to the General about the circus, and that they were opening their run tonight. General Tiedoll's eyes lit up, "A traveling circus? That's wonderful!" He turned to his apprentices, "We should stop here and stay."

Kanda sputtered in disbelief, "What? We can't stay here! We still have a few hours of daylight. We could be five miles away from here by nightfall."

The General shook his head, "Kanda, you need to learn to appreciate art and take the opportunity to enjoy life when it presents itself."

Kanda scoffed, making a _tch_ sound.

Krystal led the three towards the main complex of tents, where the General bought two tickets, Kanda saying that he would "keep watch". Daisya started jabbering to Krystal, telling her ridiculous stories of probably fictional adventures and people. In return, Krystal began teaching him sign language.

As darkness began to descend on the tents, torches of different colors were lit to lead the way to the main tent for the start of the show. Green, blue, pink and orange flames cast colored shadows across faces, sinking them into a Technicolor dream.

General Tiedoll was amazed at the torches, "These are absolutely brilliant! Who came up with these?"

Krystal pointed to Arthur, who was igniting the last blue torch at the end of the path. General Tiedoll ran over to shake the young man's hand and began asking him questions about the colored flames. Arthur was explaining the use of different metals to change the color of the flame when a shower of red and blue sparks was shot high into the night air.

"…and the blue is cobalt and just a touch of silver and-aww crap, I gotta go!" He ran off towards the source of the fireworks, which was a signal that the show was going to start. Krystal followed him, with Daisya and General close behind her. Kanda hung back and scanned the horizon as though looking for something.

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Krystal finished the number she had rewritten with a trill of her flute. Dannie and Dara ended their dance number with a combination of intense, quick steps. The audience bust into applause as the two sisters took their respective bows. Krystal alternated clapping and showing her roommates the sign for "good job" from her seat in the small orchestra.

Charles took the center of the tent again, calling attention to himself, "Let's have another round of applause for Dannie and Dara," he said to the audience. The crowd cheered again and Krystal leaned over the brightly colored partition to hug her friends. The ringmaster was already introducing the next act. The lights were dimming and Arthur had disappeared out of her pit.

"And now," Charles said, "we bring you to the time of Shakespeare and the foggy heath of Scotland in act IV scene I of Macbeth."

The stage area went black for a moment, but soon a flickering fire lit the center. As the fire grew, Krystal saw three shapes gathered around a cauldron. Behind her, there was a drum roll that sounded ominously like thunder.

The first hooded figure stood up and addressed the apprehensive audience, "Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd." Krystal sighed, recognizing the voice of James.

The second witch stood up and delivered her line, "Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined." Krystal smiled, hearing Katie's voice delivering the mysterious lines.

The third witch stood up, "Harpier cries 'Tis time, 'tis time!" Krystal suddenly realized where her missing bassist had disappeared to.

The three witches circled around the fire. James started chanting, "Round about the cauldron go; in the poison'd entrails throw. Toad, that under cold stone, days and nights has thirty-one, swelter'd venom sleeping got, boil thou first i' the charmed pot." He tossed something in the fire and the flames gave a hiss, turning acidic green.

Krystal tilted her head. She heard a droning sound approaching from outside the tent.

Together, the witches chanted, "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."

Katie spoke next, "Fillet of a fenny snake, in the cauldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog; Wool of bat and tongue of dog; Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting; Lizard's leg and owlet's wing. For a charm of powerful trouble, like a hell-broth boil and bubble." She cast into the fires something that made the flames turn a sooty red.

Krystal listened closer, she thought she heard gunfire in the distance.

Again, the three chanted, "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Arthur stepped out of the ring for his speech, and after listing each ingredient, threw a different powder in the fire, creating a mesmerizing display of hypnotically dangerous colors. He chanted, "Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf; Witches' mummy, maw and gulf; Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark, Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark; Liver of blaspheming Jew; Gall of goat, and slips of yew silver'd in the moon's eclipse; Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips; Finger of birth-strangled babe, ditch-deliver'd by a drab. Make the gruel thick and slab: Add thereto a tiger's chaudron, For the ingredients of our cauldron."

From outside, Krystal thought she heard a voice shouting, "Activate!" but the noise was drowned out by the act in the center.

The three chanted louder than ever, "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Finally, Katie poured a liquid on the fire, causing it to darken to glowing embers, "Cool it with a baboon's blood, then the charm is firm and good. By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." She tossed a final handful of powder into the fire, making it explode in a dazzling array of sparks.

As the smoke cleared, the roof of the tent was torn away, revealing the clear night sky. Kanda ran into the tent, yelling, "Akuma!"

Daisya and the General jumped out of their seats, but the rest of the audience was preoccupied by a new feature in the sky; twenty or thirty ball-shaped creatures were descending upon the tent. They had gun-like muzzles sprouting out of them like some terrifying metallic spore.

The monsters swarmed the tent area and positioned the muzzles of the cannons at the center ring. James, Katie and Arthur looked up from the ashes of their fire just in time to see twenty bullets being fired at them from various angles.

The crowd screamed and began milling around in chaos. Kanda, Daisya and the General ran towards the monsters while everyone fled in the opposite direction. The smell of blood and ash began filling the air as the monsters fired randomly at the people trapped by the confines of the large tent.

Krystal tried to find her friends, hoping they weren't dead. She made her way to the center ring, where around the remains of the fire, three sets of clothing filled with sand were all the remained of her friends.

In her mind, she remembered when she returned to her village and saw the same results on her family and neighbors. Now Katie had gone the same way. A wave of grief for her best friend and those who were falling around her encompassed her. It was times like these, when she was unable to express full emotions, that she hated being mute. Tears ran down her cheeks as her body was racked by noiseless cries.

Slowly, she realized that she was feeling lightheaded. As her vision began to blur, one of the monsters approached her. It aimed one of its guns at her. _It wouldn't be too bad to die_, she thought, _I'll get to see everyone again_.

Before she passed out, a figure dressed in a long black coat ran in front of her, slicing the monster in half with a glowing sword. She vaguely registered the figure as Kanda, and heard him call out, "We have a survivor." Then everything was black.

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Muahahahahaa!!! Another cliffie! I'm being evil about this, aren't I?

If anyone's interested in othe MacB-related works I did, check out Red On Grey by The Short Story Players!!

The official theme songs for Silent Music are Arise by ES Posthumous and Time Is Running Out by Papa Roach.

Well, see you next week!

~~BJ


	4. Information

*Sings* Good morning starshine!!! Well, here's the newest chapter of Silent Music. To recap, the circus Krystal has worked at for seven years was attacked by a swarm of akuma, then she passed out from the noxious effects of the gas.

I admit, this chapter for the most part is lame, but the end is what's important. That and the wonderful beginnings of Krystal and Kanda's relationship. Speaking of which, I have a poll up on my profile concerning the status of their relationship. Check it out!!

Disclaimer: *checks* nope, I still don't own DGM.

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The first thing Krystal was aware of was a trickle of cool water running down her forehead. Flickers of light danced behind her closed eyelids. Her head felt like it was filled with lead.

The events of the previous night spun back into her head. The monsters, the shooting, and Katie, James and Arthur reduced to dust. Her eyes bust open and she sat upright. Daisya, who was bending over her to change the towel on her forehead, jumped back.

"Whoa," he said, startled, "where's the fire?"

Krystal looked around for anyone who might have survived the attack, but her head gave a nasty throb, and she sunk back to her pillow. She looked at Daisya, her eyes pleading, _Did anyone else_- she began to sign, but Daisya shook his head.

Hot tears stung her eyes as she thought of her family; her mother, father, brother and entire village, wiped out by monsters. She thought of her second family; Katie, Arthur, James, Dannie, Dara and Charles, wiped out by the same monsters. Both times, she had been allowed to live. Why?

As these thoughts penetrated her mind, Kanda entered the circle of firelight. He glanced over to Krystal, lying helpless under a blanket. He scoffed and gazed into the fire. Rage boiled inside of her. How dare this stranger judge her, when she had lost her second family to these monsters? If he viewed her as weak, why did he bother saving her? Krystal yanked the blanket over her head to hide her face. She didn't want to give Kanda any more ammunition against her.

The blanket was short, so when Krystal covered her face, it left her bare feet exposed. Daisya stifled a laugh and turned to his partner, "What did you do to her? She's known you for six hours, and you look at her once, and she hides?"

"I didn't do anything," Kanda growled, "If she can't be thankful for me saving her life, we can just leave her here."

"That's enough, Kanda," called General Tiedoll, emerging from his tent. He looked at the utilitarian blanket that had spontaneously grown a pair of small, dirty feet. "I'm guessing that the girl is awake?"

"Yeah," said Daisya, "but Kanda looked at her, so now she's hiding."

Krystal threw the blanket off herself. _I'm not hiding_, she signed, _I'm frustrated_.

"What's wrong?" the General asked intently, "We'll try to fill you in as best we can."

Thousands of questions flooded Krystal's mind, her hands going so fast, the general had to stop her. "One at a time," he said gently.

_Who are you?_, she asked.

General Tiedoll sat down on the ground. "That," he said, "is one of the simplest and most difficult questions you could ask us." Krystal was confused. The General continued, "We are what are known as exorcists. An exorcist is someone who fights and destroys akuma, those monsters that attacked last night. Exorcists fight akuma using Innocence." General Tiedoll reached into one of his many bags and pulled out a small, glowing object about the size of a golf ball. The sight of the small object filled Krystal with a kind of warmth and hope, as well as a sense of apprehension.

The General continued, "Innocence reacts to people who are chosen by God to use it against akuma. These people are called accommodators. Accommodators who fight akuma are called Exorcists. The Innocence is formed into a usable tool called an anti-akuma weapon."

Krystal nodded, taking the information in. She asked her next question, _What exactly is an akuma?_

"You get right down into it, don't you?" he asked mildly. "Well, akuma are killing machines designed by the Millennium Earl. Akuma are created when someone tries to bring another person back to life. When the Earl senses a tragedy in a person's heart, he exploits them at their weakest time and creates an akuma. The akuma is the soul of the deceased attached to a mechanical skeleton under the Earl's control. The akuma kills the person who tried to bring them back to life, and then continues on its path of destruction, killing people to advance to the next level. Akuma are part of the Earl's plan to destroy humanity once and for all. Exorcists have been created to stop the Earl."

With this new information, Krystal asked, _Are you all Exorcists? Where did you come from?_

General Tiedoll nodded, "Yes, we are all exorcists. Kanda and Daisya are my apprentices, and I am returning with them from one of their missions. We are all returning to the Exorcist headquarters at the Black Order. I need to be there for a meeting in late summer, which is why the boys are pressing me to hurry up." He smiled gently at her, "Do you have any other questions?"

Krystal nodded. Now that she learned about Innocence and akuma and exorcists, she asked, _Can I come with you?_

The General's face darkened slightly, "You've had a long day, and you haven't recovered fully from the affects of the akuma gas. We can talk more in the morning, but for now, rest."

Krystal almost retorted, but was suddenly overcome by tiredness and laid down, falling asleep immediately. General Tiedoll gently covered her grass-stained feet with the blanket and smoothed her hair. He stood up, but was confronted by an irate Kanda.

"What are you doing?" he sputtered, unable to speak coherently, "You just revealed our secrets to this stranger who's caused us nothing but trouble, brought us to a swarm of akuma, fainted, making me and Daisya carry her here, and attempted to take a swing at an exorcist. For all we know, she could be a spy for the Earl, and you're considering bringing her with us? Not to mention, she can't talk, so she'll only be a hindrance to us. Either you're going senile, or you have something else planned."

General Tiedoll regarded his pupil for a moment, then replied, "As a General of the Order, I have every right to keep my thoughts to myself and not share them with a subordinate, but I will. In case you didn't notice, at least ten of those akuma went straight for this girl. If she hadn't been preoccupied by her friends' deaths, she would have died immediately. Those akuma were after something, and I think it has to do with that girl. I want to take her to the Order. If the Earl knows something we don't, I want to find it out," He paused, looking at his dumbstruck student, "Not to mention, she had every right to try and hit you."

Kanda gaped like a fish out of water. He finally found his voice, "What are you saying?"

"That girl has gone through a lot. She referred to the circus as her 'family', but called everyone there her friend. She was conducting the band inside, but was quite possibly the youngest one there. She recognized the effects of an akuma attack, which means she's seen the results at least once. She really didn't need your attitude calling her a mute on top of everything else." And with that, the General left his student standing in the firelight to ponder the things revealed to him.

Meanwhile, Krystal dreamed of Innocence that turned into an akuma, then the akuma turned into her brother. She ran to give her brother a hug, but he turned into Kanda, who sneered at her. He gripped her by the throat and tossed her aside. "We have no need for you. Go away."

Then Kanda turned into a shadowy figure with a top hat. "Precious girl," the figure said, "you have darkness in your heart. You will become an akuma!"

"No," she cried, "I don't have darkness in my heart." Then she realized the figure didn't hear her, because she couldn't talk. Then she couldn't breathe. She was falling into darkness.

She woke up suddenly and looked around the small camp. The fire had burned down to ashes. Kanda lay in front of the glowing embers, asleep. Daisya was keeping watch. He noticed Krystal had woken up and winked at her, showing the sign for _ok_.

Krystal returned the sign and lay down again. She had made her decision.

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I'm sorry this is a short chapter, but now we can get to the plot and action and whatnot!! yay!!

Special shoutout to one of my consistant reviewers, anonymous: thanks for sticking with the story so far!! your comments make my day =).

Reviews, good, bad or indifferent are always apperciated!!

~~BJ


	5. Beginning the Journey

Well, here we are, another Tuesday night/Wednesday, and another chapter in Silent music!! *cue applause*

Well, this is another short chapter, sorry. They'll get longer, I promise. =)

Disclaimer:.....still don't own it.

* * *

Krystal wasn't sure when she first woke up, but as she slowly ascended out of the realm of sleep, she began to make out voices.

She heard one voice muttering angrily, "…A month? Isn't that cutting it a bit close to get back to the Order?"

Another voice calmly replied, "Don't worry, we'll make it in plenty of time. They won't start the meeting if they know I'll be running a couple of days behind."

The first voice scoffed, and posed his next question with a hint of malice tinting his words, "What about her?" Krystal registered the voice as Kanda.

"That's up to Krystal," replied the second voice, which she recognized as General Tiedoll.

Krystal's eyes flew open; she closed them immediately due to the early morning sun. She shielded her eyes while adjusting to the light and sat up. General Tiedoll was holding a map in front of him, and Kanda was looking at it over his shoulder.

Kanda saw her sitting up and scowled; a look she returned.

"You're up," he noted.

Krystal made a flippant gesture, meaning vaguely, _whatever_.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked suspiciously.

Krystal grinned and sticking out her thumbs, she circled her hands in opposite directions in front of her chest, meaning _go to hell_. She smiled sweetly and Kanda scoffed, turning his attention back to the map.

General Tiedoll looked up from the map, "So," he said, "have you made your decision?"

Krystal nodded, and began to sign slowly, _I…might not…be able to help you, but_…she put her hands in her lap, searching for words, _I want to help people…like Katie and Arthur…_, again, she was at a loss for words. She banged the ground with her fist. Finally, she threw up her hands and signed, _I'm coming with you_.

"Splendid!" cried the General, "the Order could always use new members; we're such a small group. We'll be travelling for about three weeks or a month to get there on foot," he showed her the map, tracing a line from north Greece, up the Balkan Peninsula and across Poland and Germany to England. "There's a meeting at the end of August, and as a General, I need to report back to the Order once or twice a year."

Kanda looked up at the sky, "Speaking of travelling, we need to get going, otherwise we'll never get out of southern Europe."

General Tiedoll looked slightly irritated, "I know that Yu, but Daisya is still asleep, and he kept watch most of the night, so we'll get going in an hour or so."

Kanda glared at the older man, "Don't call me that."

The general shrugged noncommittally and began sketching a bluebird perched in a tree. Kanda grit his teeth and stalked away. The General looked up from his sketch and smiled at Krystal, "Don't mind him," he said kindly, "he has a tendency to sulk when confronted with change, but he gets over it eventually."

Krystal nodded and untangled herself from the blanket on top of her. She folded it neatly on top of the pillow she had slept on and turned to General Tiedoll, _what should I do with these?_, she asked.

The General tilted his head to one side, then started rummaging in on of his side bags. "I thought," he murmured, "that I had an extra bag somewhere….aha!" He pulled out a blue canvas bag splattered with silver paint and with a single strap from top to bottom. "You can use this."

Krystal took the bag. The fabric was sturdy and a bit frayed at the edges. She loaded up her blanket and pillow into the bag. She slung it over her head, so the strap ran across her chest left to right. It had a comfortable shape, the bag resting on her right hip and lower back.

Kanda emerged out of the woods, bits of twigs and leaves dusting the front of his coat. General Tiedoll observed, "Getting some practice in on some poor, unoffending sycamore tree?"

Kanda shot an angry stare at his master, then turned to the blanketed lump that was Daisya. He unhooked his sheathed sword from his side and started jabbing his partner in the side. "Daisya," he said, "get up."

Daisya threw on arm up in the air. "Jab me one more time, and I'll cut all your hair off while you sleep," he threatened.

Kanda smirked and, taking careful aim, smacked the flat of the sheath against Daisya's head.

The hooded exorcist sat up, his cloak tangled around his body and his light brown hair sticking up in all directions, "What the hell, Kanda? Your hair's gonna be a foot and a half shorter tomorrow."

Kanda fastened his sword back on his belt and replied coolly, "I'd really love to see you try."

Daisya threw his hood over his head and turned to Krystal exasperatedly, "You see what I have to work with?"

Krystal smiled, and told Daisya that she would be coming with them to the Order, and would enjoy making Kanda's life difficult as possible.

Daisya grinned and cackled evilly, tossing his belongings into a grey bag of similar design to Krystal's. Kanda shook his head and made sure the last of the embers from the fire were out.

In half an hour, the makeshift camp had been completely erased and the four travelers were ready to leave. General Tiedoll turned to Krystal, "Are you sure this is the path you want to follow?"

Krystal signed an affirmative, _yes_.

He nodded solemnly, "I thought so. Well, we better be going, we need to be at the Greek border by nightfall if we want to stay on schedule."

Kanda flipped his long hair over one shoulder, "We would be ahead of schedule if we hadn't stopped early last night."

Daisya mock-punched his companion on the arm, "C'mon, Kanda, we didn't lose that much time."

"And besides," added General Tiedoll, "if we hadn't stopped, we wouldn't have stopped all those akuma."

Krystal nodded and with some reluctance, signed, _Thank you for saving me that night_.

Daisya explained what she said and Kanda shrugged, "It's my job." He turned north, "We'd better get going," and without another word, began walking away.

General Tiedoll followed, then took the lead. Daisya turned to Krystal and smiled, "I guess you're part of the group now," and he fell in behind Kanda.

Krystal nodded, and began following, falling in next to Daisya. She readjusted he bag on her shoulder, then stopped.

Daisya looked back and turned to her, "What's wrong?"

_My flute_, she signed, _I dropped it the night of the attack. My father gave it to me when I was young._ She hung her head.

Daisya frowned, "That's too bad; I didn't find it in the rubble. I'm sorry."

"Are you guys talking about that flute?" Kanda called from in front of them.

Krystal nodded. Daisya explained, "Her dad gave it to her."

Kanda fished around in the bag at his side and produced the worn flute, "It was next to her when she fainted, and I figured it was hers. I had forgotten about it," he tossed it to Krystal, who caught it.

Krystal examined the flute. It was a bit singed, but it was definitely hers. Tears sprang to her eyes and she bowed her head. _Thank you_, she signed.

Kanda shrugged, turning around, "Whatever."

Krystal tucked the flute into the bag on her shoulder. Now she was truly ready to continue this journey. She looked up to the sky, smiled and ran to catch up with the group.

* * *

Yay!! Krys is on her way...but to where? Find out next week!

Reviews of any type are appreciated! I would also like to thank the readers so far for Krystal's **532** hits this month. Thanks so much!!!!!!!

~~BJ


	6. Night Watch

Hello readers! Well, this has been an interesting week so far, My laptop broke Thursday, so my writing schedule was thrown off, resulting in me finishing this chapter tonight (uesday at 11:00pm EST) It is a rather short chapter, but not as short as the last one. It is indirectly for Eris-92-, who wanted to know more about Krys, so here! =)

Oh, I'm very sorry. In chapter two or three, I mentioned that Krystal was fifteen and Allen was in his first year of appreniceship to Cross. I lied. Krys's birthday is August 23, making her turn sixteen in approximately ten weeks from now (story time). Allen, therefore is in his second year of apprenticeship and this is happening two years before the series. Not that it makes a lot of difference, I'm just OCD about these things.

Sooo....Enjoy, R&R, all that happy stuff!

Disclaimer: The story's been going on for a month and a half. I _still _don't own DGM. I own Krystal and all her ginger-mute amazingness. (yes. go back to the prologue. she's got red hair.)

* * *

The tall grass swayed in the cool early afternoon breeze. Krystal was leaning against a flowering willow tree and playing a soft melody that might have been a cross between a Beethoven piece and a Ukrainian folk song. Daisya was laying in the grass watching the fleecy clouds race across the sky, every now and then calling out shapes. General Tiedoll was sketching the well-preserved ruins of a Greek temple.

Kanda was irritated. "We were supposed to be at the Greek border two days ago. Why are we still here?"

"Patience, Kanda," said General Tiedoll calmly, putting the finishing touches on a sketch, "We'll never see this spot the same way again. It's best to preserve what we have when we have it." He rolled up the paper, "Now we can continue."

Krystal put her flute back in her bag and dragged Daisya to his feet. Daisya protested, "….but the dragon's about to eat the bunny, and now the wind's changing, so the bunny might win after all."

"Come on, Daisya," called Kanda, "we're leaving."

Krystal heard it first. It began as a soft hum, but quickly grew into a loud drone. Daisya perked up and looked over his shoulder, "Yo, Kanda," he called, jerking his head towards the tops of the trees, "we have company."

Kanda unsheathed his sword, "Dammit," he muttered. He drew two fingers across the blade, making it shimmer and glow. Kanda took a fighting stance and Daisya swung the bell off the hood of his cloak. The bell grew to the size of a soccer ball and began to glow.

The two waited, looking apprehensively at the treetops. General Tiedoll beckoned Krystal to where he was standing. Krystal ran to the older man, signing, _What?_

"Daisya and Kanda can take care of themselves," he told her, "you're unarmed, so you should stay back here."

Krystal nodded and watched the other two. The droning became louder and six akuma appeared over the tops of the trees. Kanda faced them and gripped his sword, "Mugen," he whispered, "Evil has risen. First Illusion: Hell's Insects!" He drew his sword across the air and a dozen small white creatures appeared. The creatures wriggled through the air and bored through five akuma, causing them to explode. There was a high-pitched whistling noise and Kanda re-sheathed his sword.

Daisya looked at the final one and called out, "I got it." He kicked his bell into the air and took aim. Kicking the ball he shouted, "Charity Bell, Shoot!" The bell whizzed towards the akuma, creating a hole in the grey exterior. Daisya snapped his fingers and the akuma began vibrating, the sound of church bells filled the air. The akuma roared and exploded. The bell returned to it's owner. "Ta da," Daisya said with a wicked grin on his face. He pulled a pad and pencil from an inside pocket in his cloak. "So, that makes the total 52 for Kanda and 47 for me." He jotted down the new numbers.

General Tiedoll sighed, "Are you still playing that game?"

"What?" asked Daisya innocently, "the 'How many akuma can we kill while traversing across Europe' game? It's just something to pass the time."

"Daisya," said General Tiedoll, rubbing his temples, "you ought to take your duty as apostles of God a bit more seriously."

Daisya shrugged, "I don't think God would mind if I kept score every now and then, as long as our side wins."

The General ran his hands through his thick frizzy grey hair in a sign of defeat, "Whatever you say Daisya. Let's get going."

* * *

They crossed the Greek border into Bulgaria later that day. By the time they stopped for the night, they were a few miles outside the city of Sofia. They made camp a ways back in the woods and Daisya started a fire. They ate a light supper, then Kanda went to bed immediately, saying he would take the midnight watch. General Tiedoll also went to bed early, saying they would get a head start the next day.

Daisya leaned against a tree, preparing to take first watch. He took out a deck of cards and started shuffling them absently, his light brown eyes watching the sky. Krystal, used to operating on little sleep, stayed up and watched the fire.

Krystal stirred up the fire around ten o'clock, alerting Daisya to her presence. He turned to her, "You know, night watches go a lot faster when you tell stories. Where did you grow up?"

Krystal smiled impishly, _I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours_.

Daisya sighed, "Fine, I'll go first." He laid back and looked at the sky, "I was born in a town called Bodrum in Turkey. It's a little town right on the water, so it's a natural tourist trap. My parents own an souvenir shop there, and I would work there sometimes," he thought it over, "I felt trapped there. Like each day told me that I would spend the rest of my life selling shells to tourists." He shuddered, "One day, I was looking at the water, thinking of ways to get out of my situation, and who do you think shows up on the beach?"

_Who?_, she asked.

"Old man Tiedoll was passing through town to sketch the water, and I happened to run into him. One of the Innocence fragments reacted to me and told him I was an accommodator. He offered me lunch and explained everything to me; akuma, Innocence and exorcists."

_What did you do?_ she prompted him.

Daisya laughed, "I turned him down. I thought he was planning to sell me into slavery or something. I ran off as fast as I could. I didn't believe anything he told me." He grinned wryly, "The next day, the bay was attacked by akuma and the General blew them away like it was nothing. He told me that's what exorcists do, and they get to travel the world."

_So what did you do then?_

"I went for a swim to clear my head, then I went back home to pack up. My parents knew I didn't fit into the tourist industry, but they didn't expect me to leave so soon. I took my soccer ball, water bottle and this," he touched the bell at the end of his hood, "this was the bell that hung on my family's shop. When I closed the door on my way to meet General Tiedoll, the bell fell of and rolled towards me. It's the only thing I have of my family now." He smiled, "General Tiedoll's a bit eccentric sometimes, but he's a good teacher. And never once since joining the order have I been bored."

He rolled onto his stomach, "And that's how I got to where I am today. Wasn't it interesting?"

_Absolutely fascinating_, she signed, trying to match the sarcasm in Daisya's voice.

"Ok," he said, "I told you my story. You tell me yours."

Krystal stretched her fingers, making Daisya laugh. _I was born on a farm in Ukraine. My mother told me she thought I was just well-behaved when I was first born, because I didn't cry. They soon realized that I couldn't talk, but I could listen. My father taught me sign language and introduced me to people around town. Soon, the unofficial second language was sign language_. She paused, _My brother was five years older than I was, and had started working on our family's farm. I started spending time with my friend Katie when my brother started working, and soon we were like sisters. She was the one who convinced me to wear my hair tied back._

She fingered the worn green ribbon in her hair and continued, _One day, my father sent the two of us to the next town over to get supplies for the farm. It was a half-day trip there and back, so we stayed the night and headed back the next morning. _

A tear rolled down her cheek and her hands began shaking, _When we got back, it was so quiet. There weren't any birds or people making noise. We ran through every house, looking for people, but all we found was dust. We walked for days, and eventually came across the circus. With nothing to go back to, we decided to start fresh. That was seven years ago. Now my other family is gone too. _Tears poured freely down her cheeks._ I want a family that will last._

Daisya's eyes softened as he wrapped her in a hug. Silent sobs shook her body. It was eerily quiet for the amount of emotion being shared. He smoothed her hair down, realizing it smelled vaguely like strawberries.

Krystal sat up, wiping her eyes. _Thank you_, she signed, smiling, _for letting me tell you my story_.

"Anytime," he said seriously, "if you need to talk, just come to me or General Tiedoll. Kanda's still not used to you, so I don't suggest bringing your problems to him."

She smiled and hugged him tightly. _Thank you_, she signed again. She yawned widely. _I'm going to sleep now_.

"See you in the morning," he smiled.

Krystal wrapped herself in her blanket and smiled at the warmth. She felt like a burden had been lifted from her chest. As she fell asleep, she heard Daisya's bell chime as he traded posts with Kanda. That night, she dreamed of blue oceans and warm, sandy beaches.

* * *

NOTE: They're just friends. Krystal and Daisya are really close friends. They have no romantic feelings for each other. I'm paranoid about these things.

OTHER NOTE: Go to my profile to go to my deviantART profile to see the secret, lost and didn't-make-it-to-the-final-cut chapters for Silent Music!

OTHER OTHER NOTE: I have made a list of songs that I consider the themesongs for Silent Music. They are: Arise by E.S. Posthumous, Time Is Running Out by Papa Roach, Whisper by Evanescence, Not Gonna Get Us by t.A.T.u., and Think Twice by Eve 6. The last three apply to later chapters.

OTHER OTHER OTHER NOTE: Review please! That's it! See you next week. =)

~~BJ


	7. Judgment, Hanged Man, Star

Hey everyone! I've wanted to do this for a while, and this presented itself just too well. What, you may ask? Fortune telling! Hehehee. I loves me some tarot acting as plot aids. I originally planned Kanda's hand first, then everyone else's fell into place. I could go on forever on how I chose each card and a lot of hiddedn significance if I could, but this is FanFic, not Wikipedia. PM me or review if you want to know the planning behind this.

I had to cut down this chapter so it wouldnt be ridiculously long. Unfortuantely, next chapter will be kind of short, but I'm not 100% sure.

Can I say I love Leonata? Oh, wait.....Go read.

Disclaimer: I. DON'T. OWN. IT. =D

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They crossed Serbia in two days, stopping intermittently for food and sleep. A few miles from the border with Hungary, they met a wagon caravan of gypsies on their way to Budapest. The leader of the group was a short man with his long black hair tied back in a neat ponytail. The gold buttons of his red vest strained a bit around his round stomach. General Tiedoll talked with the short man, and half an hour later, Krystal was dangling her feet off the edge of one of the wagons.

She felt at home with the travelling performers, having worked with a few gypsies when the circus was travelling through Poland a few years ago. The group of three girls had spoken with a rich accent, and their dancing was something unreal. One of the girls, Fortunata had even told people's fortunes.

She let the sun warm her face as she began playing a light melody on her flute, bringing to mind grassy fields and celebration. Behind her, a light soprano began humming the harmony to the song. Krystal whipped her head to see one of the gypsy girls humming and tapping her leg rhythmically. She stopped humming and smiled, "Good song," she commented, "you play it well."

_Thank you_, Krystal signed and continued playing, the girl behind her singing counterpoint. When the song was over, the girl introduced herself, "I'm Leonata."

_Krystal_, she signed, _you sing wonderfully_.

Leonata laughed, "You should see us at the fire. We really belt out then. I'll show you tonight."

Krystal signed, _I'd like that_. The two girls spent the next few hours discussing the scenery and sharing stories about travelling companions. Krystal had just shared the time Arthur started his own three-minute bass solo when Leonata's eyes lit up. "Do you believe in fortune telling?" she asked.

Krystal shrugged, I believe in luck and I had my palm read once.

Leonata scoffed, "Anyone can read palms. It takes a true fortune teller to read cards," she took out a battered deck of cards and turned to Daisya, Kanda and the General, "are any of you gentlemen interested in having your cards read?"

Daisya, who had been watching the scenery for the past three hours, perked up as he spied the deck of cards, "Major or minor Arcanum?" he questioned.

"Major," replied Leonata slyly, "I only read the Major Arcanum."

"I'm in," he said simply, and sat next to Leonata.

General Tiedoll looked intrigued, "I've never seen cards read, it sounds interesting," and he joined the group.

They looked at Kanda. "You're all superstitious old ladies," he said.

"Oh, come on Kanda," pleaded Daisya, "what if there's something eerie or mysterious in your life? You could be caught completely unaware by a large sum of cash and have no idea what to do with it!"

"I'll survive," he said drily.

Leonata pouted a bit, "You do know it's bad luck to refuse a free reading, especially from the Major Arcanum?"

Kanda sighed, "Fine."

Leonata grinned and Daisya pumped his fist in the air. "Now," said Leonata, shuffling the deck, "the oldest member goes first."

"That would be me," said General Tiedoll wryly.

"Excellent," Leonata shuffled the cards, "The card on the left symbolizes the past, the center card is the present, and the card on the right is the future." She offered him the deck, "Place your right hand on the deck."

The General placed his hand on the cards, and Leonata placed her left hand on top. She drew the top three cards and spread them on her lap. She turned over the middle card, revealing a man dressed in long robes, who appeared to be teaching other figures seated around his throne. "The hierophant," Leonata said, "the wise teacher. One who draws the students back to view the big picture and consider earthly matters."

"That's him, alright," commented Daisya.

The General smiled, "That does sound like me."

Leonata turned over the card on the right, representing the future. On it was a red chariot drawn by a black horse and a white horse. "The Chariot," Leonata explained, "victory is in your future, but you may not see it at first. It will also come at difficult prices."

General Tiedoll bowed his head, "I take all the assurances I get that we will succeed."

Leonat turned over the last card. On it was a man wrapped in a cloak holding a lantern aloft, "The Hermit. Self-discovery and introversion. You discovered something important about yourself that has led to where you are now."

General Tiedoll considered the card and smiled, "Thank you, Leonata. That was very enlightening."

Daisya leaned over, "I'm next."

Leonata reshuffled the cards and had Daisya place his hand on the deck like the General had. She laid the cards out and flipped over the middle one again. On the card, an angel with a trumpet stood over figures rising form the earth. "Judgment," she said, "memories and the past has no effect on you or your future. You must reconcile with your past and remember that what's done is done." Daisya's eyes widened as she explained this. She smiled slightly and flipped over the next card, showing a dancer with her foot crossed behind her other leg. Leonata's eyes widened, "This is a good card for the future, the World. You will complete your journey and come to the realization of your dream."

Daisya raised an eyebrow, "'My dream'? I didn't know I had one."

Leonata shrugged, "I just read what the cards say." She flipped the past card, revealing a yong man dressed in a hooded cloak on a journey, about to step over the edge of a cliff. Leonata laughed, "This is intriguing: The Fool as your past and The World as your future. The Fool is the first card in the deck and The World is the last, encompassing the entire deck. Anyway, the Fool represents being unsure at the outset of a journey."

Kanda looked at the card, "The Fool, how appropriate, Daisya. He even looks like you."

Daisya looked at the card, "What the hell are you talking about? I look nothing like a fool."

"Whatever," Kanda leaned back in his seat.

Leonata shuffled the cards again, "Who's next?"

Kanda pointed at Krystal, "I'm last."

Krystal shrugged and placed her palm on the cool deck when Leonata told her to. The cards were spread on the fortune teller's lap and she flipped over the middle card. On it, a woman poured water onto the ground and into a pool under the light of an eight-pointed star. Leonata squealed in excitement, "You lucky girl. You drew the Star on your first try. It's the luckiest card in the entire deck. You're full of hope and setting a bright future."

Krystal looked at the woman on the card. She watered the ground, nourishing a plant, while at the same time replenishing a pool for travelers.

Leonata flipped the next card, "Well, keeping your bright starlight future in mind, your next card is," the card had the picture of a man and a woman sitting under a willow tree, looking at eachother, while above them, a cupid aimed its arrow. "Lovers. It's official. You will live a wonderful life, and make an important choice concerning love. I wish I drew a hand as good as this."

The card for her future was darker than the other two, depicting a skeletal figure on a white horse, riding over a battlefield. "Death," Leonata pronounced curiously, "there has been a profound loss in your past, but there is still something gained through that loss. Keep that in mind."

Krystal thought about her family and friends, all lost to akuma. _What have I gained through their loss?_ she wondered. She looked at Daisya, _I've gained one good friend, at least._

Leonata turned to Kanda, "Ok, Mr. 'Dark-and-Silent' put your hand on the deck." He placed his hand on the deck and rolled his eyes. Leonata stuck her tongue out at him as she spread his cards out. "So let's see," she flipped over the card for his present, revealing a man hung by his ankles to a tree. The man's face was content, like he was sleeping. "The Hanged Man," she explained, "you're searching, and are willing to make sacrifices to find what you're looking for." Kanda nodded silently and Leonata flipped over the next card, picturing a woman dressed in midnight blue with a gauzy veil draped behind her. There was a black pillar on her right and a white one on her left. "The High Priestess," she said, "you will find something hidden. Something secret, and very powerful."

Kanda studied the card carefully, as though trying to find a hidden message on it. Leonata picked up the next card and looked at it. She screamed, and flung it away from her, a look of terror on her face.

Daisya jumped up, "What is it?"

"Chaos," she muttered, eying the card like a snake, "betrayal, disruption. Friendships destroyed. That card is the worst omen in the entire deck, and it's his past." She picked it up off the ground warily, "The Tower," On the card, a stone tower toppled, struck by lightning. People ran to escape the destruction and nearby trees caught fire. Leonata looked at Kanda, "Who are you, with a past so dark?"

He simply looked away.

* * *

Ok, quick survey. How many Harry Potter fans out there? The Lightning-Struck Tower in OotP is The Tower in the Grand Arcanum. I got excited.

Well,I'm posting late at night again, but I would like to give internet hugs (unless of course you don't like internet hugs, in which case internet high-fives are substituted) to all the readers, who have given me more hits in two weeks than I did all last month. THANK YOU!!!!!!

Ok, review, review, review. Especially if you're interested in the Grand Arcanum. =D

~~BJ


	8. Let's Dance

Well, it's finally up. I AM SO SORRY! It's a day late. I'm trying to stay to my schedule, but this week.....welcome to the week teachers realize they have four classes to finish a chapter, a novel and prepare for finals.

ah, C'est la vie.

So, this is the first chapter I'm incorporating a song. It's called Kelas (Let's Dance). Some people might recognize it form Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa. It's the one the gypsies sing. *shock* If you don't know it, the youtube link is on my profile.

Leonata has made it briefly to my third favorite character, just passing Daisya. Krystal and Kanda hold first and second, respectively.

Disclaimer: I don't own some of my braincells right now. Do you htink I OWN DGray-Man? I think not.

* * *

Two-thirds of the way to Budapest, they stopped for the night, forming the wagons in a circle. At the center of the circle, they set up a large fire pit and started a fire for cooking.

Leonata handed Krystal a bundle of clothes, "I'll wash those ones," she motioned to the clothes she was wearing. Minutes later, Krystal was dressed in a light linen shirt and long blue shirt. Her hair hung around her face, unbound by the ribbon.

Leonata noticed this and Krystal explained, _I had that ribbon for years. It finally broke. _

Leonata reached into her bag and pulled out light blue silk scarf. She reached over Krystal's head and tied it up in her hair. She stood back to examine her work, "It looks nice. You should definitely tie your hair back more often." Krystal fingered the silver beads on the edge of the scarf and smiled. "But you know," Leonata continued, "Roma are notorious for getting their fair share out of deals. You can keep the scarf if you play your flute tonight at the fire."

Krystal grinned, _Deal_.

Leonata left to tend the fire and help some of the other women prepare that night's supper. As the sun slipped below the horizon, the deep bass notes of a gong sounded, calling the people to dinner. The sound of friendly chatter and forks on plates filled the air as the motley group of performers gathered around the fire.

Krystal counted three languages floating around, English, Hungarian and one that seemed to be a combination of many.

She found General Tiedoll talking to the man in the red vest again. The man nodded seriously and walked away. Krystal tapped the artist on the shoulder, _What language are they speaking?_

"Ah," he said, "you mean Romani. The Roma, or gypsies as they are sometimes called, have developed their own unique language; a sort of mix between Romanian, Sanskrit and many others."

Leonata found Krystal in the crowd. She spotted her talking to the General and grabbed her wrist, "It's also wonderful for singing," she interjected. "Come on. I want you to play now, before we get to the dancing."

Leonata led her to a wagon with the back hatch hanging down, creating a makeshift bench. She motioned for Krystal to sit while she clapped to get everyone's attention.

"Everyone," she called, "tonight, we have a special guest. Krystal is an accomplished flutist and has agreed to grace us with a melody to start tonight's events."

Krystal, who usually enjoyed performing, suddenly confronted a blank mind. _I don't know what to play_, she signed.

"Just look around the crowd and play whatever strikes you," suggested Leonata.

Krystal's eyes floated over the faces of the gypsy troupe. She saw a mother and child, bringing to mind a lullaby; a young man tuning his guitar, bringing up a song about a wandering traveler looking for love. She locked eyes with Daisya, giving her the idea of an old middle ages madrigal. She placed the flute to her lips and was about to play when she saw Kanda over Daisya's shoulder.

The song that came from the flute was not the madrigal she had planned. Instead, it was a slower, mellower song. An aria from some long-forgotten opera, the song sang of tragedy and revenge; but at the same time, the hero was torn between his profession of revenge and his profession of love.

The key changed as the hero chose revenge over love and his lover snag of loss. The poignant, slightly discordant notes had everyone watching in fascination as Krystal moved into the final section of the music. The hero returned home, finally having extracted his revenge, only to find his lover in the arms of another man. He reflects on his choices and realizes that love is more important than honor.

All eyes were on Krystal as she finished the last passage. Leonata had tears in her eyes, and so did General Tiedoll. Daisya's light brown eyes were thoughtful. Kanda's were impassive. Krystal stared intently, trying to discern the emotion lying just under the sheet of midnight indigo.

The crowd burst into applause, startling Krystal out of her reverie. Leonata squeezed her tightly in a hug, "You can keep the scarf," she said, "and this too." She pressed a bracelet with a single star charm into her hand. "You have a bright future ahead of you. The star says that. How bright it is depends on you."

Krystal slipped the bracelet over her wrist and admired the silver star hanging on the simple brown cord. Thank you.

"No," Leonata said, clasping her hand, "thank you. That was excellent playing. What inspired you?"

Krystal cast her eyes to where Kanda was standing, talking quietly with Daisya.

"Him?" Leonata cocked her head in Kanda's direction. "He has a dark aura. Not evil, per say, but there is something up with his past that the cards, stars and planets want to stay clear of."

Krystal was going to ask more, but Leonata vanished, only to turn up next to the young man who had finished tuning the guitar. She whispered something in his ear and he grinned.

"Well," she said over the buzz of the crowd, "now that we've had our dose of minor key, we need a major song to cheer us up!"

There was a cheer of consent as the guitarist strummed and Leonata started singing in the language Krystal didn't recognize. Her voice was rich and throaty as she sang,

"Me djinaua jeg rat gai wam  
Me djinaua jeg rat gai wam  
Gai wam  
Gai wam  
Gai wam  
Gai wam  
Gai wam."

Another girl started singing with her in harmony and another man joined, playing guitar as well. A few people started clapping,  
"Me djinaua jeg rat gai wam  
Me djinaua jeg rat gai wam  
Gai wam  
Gai wam  
Gai wam  
Gai wam  
Gai wam"

The pace picked up and Leonata started dancing with a dark-haired man in a blue shirt. Soon, the entire troupe was singing,  
"Me djinau jeg rat gai kelam  
La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la la  
Me djinau jeg rat gai kelam  
La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la la  
Shawo djine du  
diri bacht an goi rat  
miri bacht an goi rat"

Krystal was watching people dance from her perch on the wagon as Daisya made his way over. "Want to dance?" he called.

Krystal smiled wryly, _I can't dance to save my life_.

"Neither can I," he shrugged, "come on." He held out his hand.

Krystal slid down and took Daisya's hand. The fire provided a flickering light as it climbed into the sky. He twirled her once, the blue scarf fanning out behind her. She tripped a bit completing the turn and fell against Daisya.

He laughed, "Try again." He spun her again, slower this time. She managed to complete the spin with some grace, but spent the rest of the time rocking back and forth, clapping to the rhythm.  
"Me djinau jeg rat gai kelam  
La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la la  
Me djinau jeg rat gai kelam  
La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la la  
Shawo djine du  
diri bacht an goi rat  
miri bacht an goi rat."

The guitarist finished with a flourish as the group burst into wild applause. There were cheers and hollers as Leonata took a bow and the man she was dancing with kissed her lightly on the cheek.

The fire began to die down around midnight and people started heading off to bed. A few musicians, including Krystal, hung back, composing new songs with cups of coffee near at hand.

Kanda approached her around three in the morning, "We're leaving before they head out tomorrow, so you might want to go to bed soon."

_Thank you, sir_, she signed ironically, _for those words of wisdom. I will be most sure to obey them immediately, as you are __**far superior**__ to me, and I can't decide __**when to go to sleep**_.

Leonata and a few other musicians who knew sign language burst out laughing. One of the guitarists, Leo, fell off his seat. Kanda stared at her for a moment irritably, "I understood about half of that, but don't blame me if you fall asleep on the road." He stalked back to the wagon where she could just see Daisya's unconscious form sprawled across the floor.

Leonata applauded her, "You've got guts, girl. A man like that needs to be humbled sometimes, even if he doesn't know it."

Leo looked at her, "You don't humble _me_ behind my back, do you?"

She pinched his cheek fondly, "Of course not." She looked up at the sky, "It _is_ getting late. Though I hate to agree with Mr. Dark-tall-and-silent-bad-aura-sir, we should get to sleep."

The others nodded and dispersed to their various wagons, Krystal following Leonata. The gypsy tossed her a bundle of clothes, "They're all washed," she said brightly, "though I do like blue on you. It looks nice."

Krystal smiled as she wrapped herself in her blanket.

* * *

The next day dawned fairly uneventful. Krystal and the exorcists bid goodbye to the gypsies and set out west of Budapest, crossing into Austria around midday. They travelled across Austria in a day and a half with General Tiedoll stopping to sketch the scenery often, much to Kanda's annoyance.

It was about mid-August when they crossed into Germany.

"Well," General Tiedoll said, "we only need to get through Germany and France, then we take a short boat to the Order." Krystal's eyes lit up at the prospect of finally arriving at her destination. General Tiedoll continued, "I've received some reports that Germany has seen a lot of akuma lately, so I want you two," he motioned to Kanda and Daisya, "to be on guard. I don't want to spend too much time here."

The two exorcists nodded.

* * *

Can I just say Krystal's sarcasm really comes out here? I love it.

Well, they're in Germany. *falls to ground thanking the Lord* Why am I thanking the Lord, you ask? Germany has a lot of really fun stuff in it. Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that. Oh well.

You guys are fabulous, you know that? Three weeks into May, you broke April's record for hits. THANK YOU! *internet hugs*

Now go forth and revoew, please!

~~BJ


	9. Scream on a Rainy Night

I'm back! I missed you guys so much! No wthat exams are finally over, I can update regularly! Yay summer!

As coming back present, this is the longest chapter yet. I'm excited, because this is when the plot gets really interesting, which is why there's no ending note for this chapter...=D  
A song that really influenced this chapter is "Whisper" by Evanescence. I'll put up a list of songs that have influenced the story soon.

So...yeah. Oh! visit the poll on my profile concerning Krystal's nickname for Kanda's golem. If Timcampy gets a name, so does Kanda's golem.

Discalimer: Regardless of any similarities due to hiatus, I don't own DGM. I own Krystal, though =D.

* * *

The Black Forest was aptly named. Even at noon, the sunlight that filtered through the treetops was scarce, and the temperature was more like that of April than August. By six o'clock, they had to stop and make camp because it was becoming too dark.

On the third day, they were in the heart of the forest, about two-thirds of the way across Germany. Daisya was throwing twigs into the fire and General Tiedoll was sketching a robin's nest in one of the many trees. They had found a stream, and after Krystal had washed up, Kanda had disappeared, claiming the need to bathe as well. Krystal sat with her back against a large oak tree with a pile of daisies in her lap. Her damp hair was hanging loose, drying naturally straight.

Daisya looked over to see what was occupying Krystal's attention. "A daisy crown?" he asked.

Krystal looked up, the half-finished crown lying in her lap. _Yes_, she signed, _my friend Katie taught me how to make them when we were little. I don't want to lose the skill_. She continued weaving the flowers into a circlet until the loop was complete. She placed the crown on top of Daisya's hood and smiled like a contented child, _Perfect_.

Daisya howled with laughter as Krystal started weaving a second crown. Kanda returned from the stream, wringing water out of his long hair. "What did I miss that's so hysterical, Daisya?"

Daisya sat up; the daisy crown askew and falling over his eyes, "Oh, nothing, Kanda. Why do you ask?"

Kanda took in the scene and shook his head, "Never mind."

Krystal clapped her hands as she completed the second crown. She looked at General Tiedoll, who sat down by the fire to check the progress of the stew bubbling over the cheery blaze. She offered it to him, but he smiled, "I think I'm ok. Thank you for the offer, though."

She shrugged and set it atop her own head, smiling impishly. The overall look was that of a fairy princess surrounded by her subjects.

Daisya leaned over, "Can you teach me to make one?"

Krystal nodded, and for the next ten minutes set out to gather more flowers and grass. By the time the stew was ready, the ground was littered with circlets of flowers and grass. Daisya held up a successful crown of three-leaf clovers, "I finally think I've got this," he declared.

"Why the sudden interest in flower crowns, Daisya?" asked General Tiedoll suspiciously.

"Oh, no reason," he shrugged, though Krystal would have sworn he shot a mischievous look at Kanda when he wasn't looking.

Kanda took the first watch and Daisya quickly retreated to his blanket, saying he wanted to be well rested for the late watch. Krystal watched as the camp settled down and fell into a content silence. She took the Daisy crown off her head and remembered the day she and Katie had snuck into the woods and pretended they were fairy princesses and twins separated at birth. They would pretend to wait for the handsome prince to save them and often fought over who he would marry.

_I'm on my way, Katie_, she thought, _everyone who died; I'm going to avenge you all_. She tossed the daisy crown in the fire, sealing her promise. She watched the white flowers burn and dissolve into ashes, than wrapped herself in her blanket and fell into a heavy sleep.

...

A resounding crash jolted Krystal from her dream. She had been wandering in the woods, looking for a stream. There had been a woman singing, but she had never heard the voice before. Every time she almost found the voice, it grew farther away. She was just about to see whose voice it was when a cast iron pan landed dangerously close to her head.

"Daisya," she heard a voice shout, "I'm going to kill you! No, killing is too fast. I'm going to slice you into sheets so thin, the Order won't know how to put you back together because I burned half the slices!"

She heard Daisya's voice respond, laughing, "Oh, come on, Kanda. It's only a joke. The doll actually looks a lot like you."

She sat upright to see Daisya standing a few feet away from where she was laying, and Kanda, sword out and pointing at Daisya standing across the fire pit. There was something off about Kanda, regardless of the fact that a half-shredded daisy crown was perched lopsidedly on his head. Krystal looked at the "doll" in question. It was a human figure, woven out of grass, with fine, dark fibers on top of the "head". The fibers were straight and a black so dark, it bordered on blue. In fact, it looked suspiciously like…

Krystal looked from the doll, to Kanda, and back to the doll. Daisya had snuck up on Kanda in the middle of the night and cut two or three inches of his hair, creating a wig for the grass voodoo doll Kanda.

Krystal shook with silent laughter, tears springing to her eyes. The whole situation seemed so ridiculous, yet strangely fitting.

Kanda glared at her shaking figure, "What are you laughing about?" he snarled.

_You're acting like a pair of schoolchildren_, she explained with shaking hands.

They looked at her, slightly abashed as General Tiedoll returned to the camp, "She's right, you know. You should be focusing on more serious matters right now. I received information that the number of akuma in Germany had doubled in the last week. You need to be on your guard." He surveyed the overturned campsite, "Now clean this up." After half an hour and some irritated grumbling, the camp was packed up, and the group headed out again.

* * *

Towards dusk, they came to a clearing filled with tall grass swaying in the warm breeze. The sky to the west was filled with dark clods, approaching the clearing fast. General Tiedoll assessed the approaching clouds, the setting sun reflecting in his thick glasses, "We should be able to make it across the clearing before that storm hits, but we need to move quickly. We're actually making better time than I thought. It's another two days walking to where we meet the boat that'll take us to the Order." Kanda and Daisya nodded, and they set out across the field.

The air was heavy and humid as they crossed the clearing, and it was eerily silent. Kanda kept his hand on his sword looking around tensely. Daisya trailed his hand though the tall grass, humming tunelessly, his eyes scanning the horizon.

Lighting flickered across the clouds ahead and a rumble of thunder quickly followed. The soft hiss of rain rustled through the trees and warm rain started to fall on the clearing. The rain became a steady downpour, obscuring their vision.

Daisya shouted, "Try to make a break for the trees." Just as the words left his mouth, the ground to their right exploded in a flash of purple.

"Akuma," shouted Kanda, as Krystal was thrown to the ground by the force of the explosion. She felt a lurch in her stomach not caused by her loss of balance. She tasted coppery blood in her mouth and felt slightly dizzy.

Daisya grabbed her hand, lifting her up, "Stay alert, we don't know how many there are," the rain dripped off his hood, making the purple triangles on his face smudge and run.

General Tiedoll looked around the clearing, looking for a way out. His eyes widened, "Boys, we have a problem."

The clearing was ringed by a hundred or more round, grey akuma, accompanied by five or six other mechanical monsters that appeared to be directing them.

"Level two's," muttered Kanda, "fantastic." He ran his fingers down the blade of his sword, "Mugen, activate."

Daisya swung the bell off his hood, and it began to glow and grow to the size of a soccer ball, "Charity Bell, activate."

The two exorcists stood back to back, waiting for the next attack. General Tiedoll grabbed Krystal's wrist, "Stay here," he whispered. Krystal nodded. Again, she felt dizzy, a burning sensation rising in her chest. Her heartbeat raced as adrenaline flooded her system.

One of the level two akuma, shaped like a large, red centipede, pointed one of its many legs at the exorcists in the clearing and shouted, "Fire!"

The clearing erupted in explosions and the rain started evaporating, creating a fog screen. General Tiedoll forced Krystal to the ground and covered her head. Through the fog, she heard the two exorcists commanding their anti-akuma weapons, as well as return fire from the masses of akuma. A second wave of heat spread through Krystal's chest. She coughed, and was frightened to see blood spatter on the ground below her.

The General looked up, trying to see his pupils, then back down at Krystal lying shaken on the ground. "Krystal," he whispered, "I'm going to set up a barrier so the akuma won't be able to get us. I think Kanda and Daisya will be able to fight off most of the akuma." He took out the crucifix and chisel he had shown he the first night she had joined them. "Maker of Eden," he commanded, "activate." The two pieces grew, connected by bands of bright yellow light. "The Embracing Garden," he commanded, connecting the two pieces.

White vines spread out from the anti-akuma weapon, enveloping the two of them. The vines shielded them from the rain as well, creating a sort of natural dome. The sounds of the fight were muffled, but still discernable from inside the sanctuary. The blast of akuma bullets ricocheted off the impenetrable dome. Outside, she head Kanda commanding the white creatures called "Hell's Insects" and Daisya's gleeful shouts of "Shoot!"

The fight seemed to be going in the exorcists' favor. Krystal found a gap in the vines where she could see the progress. Both of the exorcists' uniforms were slightly scorched, but they were all together in one piece. She coughed again, bringing up more blood and feeling dizzier. She felt a weariness pushing at the edges of her consciousness. She must have gotten a concussion when she fell. She had to maintain consciousness until the fight was over.

She saw Kanda look over the white dome created by General Tiedoll. His face suddenly clouded with surprise and irritation. "Daisya," he called.

"What?"

The red centipede akuma descended behind them, "Reinforcements," it declared triumphantly.

Kanda sliced it neatly and the two halves exploded. Daisya's face fell, "Aww, crap."

Another volley of bullets fired as another wave of pain swept over Krystal. She doubled over, her upper torso seemingly on fire. _It must be the gas from the akuma bullets_, she thought, _it's getting to me, but I have to stay awake no matter what_. She coughed, spattering crimson blood on the white vines.

"Krystal!" shouted General Tiedoll, "are you ok?"

Krystal nodded, feeling lightheaded. The weariness pushed at her, threatening to take over. _I'm sorry, Katie_, she thought, tears coming to her eyes, _I'm not going to make it. I'm sorry...I couldn't avenge you_. She shuddered as the fire in her chest ran up her throat and she felt more blood leave her mouth.

"Krystal!" shouted General Tiedoll, racing to catch her.

She slumped over, clinging to consciousness. The fire in her chest had settled down to a warm throbbing in her throat, like a bad case of strep. She blinked and looked out the gap in the vines.

Suddenly, the reinforcement akuma fired simultaneously, engulfing the two exorcists in smoke. She saw the two silhouettes defending themselves through the gap in the vines.

One of the level one akuma came hurdling to the ground, firing a last round of bullets before exploding. Most of the bullets went off their course, but one grazed Kanda's shoulder. His face tensed in pain as scarlet blood seeped through his fingers and he dropped to his knees. Fear gripped Krystal's heart. She wasn't about to lose another friend to akuma. She jumped toward the wall protecting her and screamed:

"**Kanda!**"

* * *

~~BJ


	10. Find Your Voice

You guys are the best, you know that? Last chapter had the highest ever number of hits. I'm so excited. This story has over 2,200 hits so far! Im no where near done, either. THANK YOU! This chapter is kind of for my sister, Margaret-Ann, who'll be at camp for the next 7 chapters while I get to be an only child. Review, child!

Krystal: So, when we left off with that ridiculous cliffhanger, General Tiedoll, Daisya, Kanda and I were being attacked by a swarm of akuma. I saw Kanda get shot by one of the akuma, and screamed. Is that an apt summary?

Yes it is. Good job.

Krystal: Any time.

Disclaimer: I drew Knada for the forst time yesterday. Do you think I could mass-produce a wildly successful manga? no. Therefore, I don't own anything.

* * *

The air around her shattered. The vines embracing her were blown away, exposing the lightning-torn sky. Pieces of ruined akuma hurtled to the ground as they were shattered by the blast.

Krystal's chest heaved as the vines around her were drawn back into General Tiedoll's Innocence. She looked up, scanning the pitted, smoky field. Two silhouettes limped through the fog.

Daisya appeared, supporting a pale Kanda on his shoulder. He looked around, "What was that? Who screamed?"

General Tiedoll pointed at Krystal, who was still panting on the ground, drenched in sweat.

"K-Krystal?" Daisya asked, astonished, "bu-but how?" He turned to her, "You can speak?"

Krystal looked up, unsure, "I-I guess so." Her voice was soft and unaccented, a bit lower than a soprano. She marveled at the sound, "I-I can talk."

Kanda stirred on Daisya's shoulder, "General, do you think it's Innocence?"

General Tiedoll looked at Krystal, who was standing shakily; leaning on Daisya's other shoulder. "It's a definite possibility," he observed, "I think we need to get to the Order as fast as possible. There's a town about a mile away with a train station. In this situation, we need to get there quickly." Daisya nodded and Kanda stood up, no longer leaning on Daisya, but still rather pale. The General looked at Kanda, "Are you ok?"

Kanda rolled his shoulder once, exposed by the jacket torn by the Akuma. "I'm fine."

The General nodded, "Let's go."

The town was moderately sized, big enough to support a train station and a small hospital, but not large enough to be called a "city". General Tiedoll said that the next train that would tale them through Belgium to Dunkerque, France would be arriving in a half hour.

Daisya and Krystal sat on one of the red painted benches in the train station. Kanda disappeared and returned five minutes later with three steaming paper cups. He gave one to Daisya and the other to Krystal, "The only thing the vendor had was Earl Grey, but it will at least keep you awake."

Daisya raised his cup, "Cheers."

Krystal stared at her feet and raised her hand to her lips, thinking to sign her thanks, but caught herself and muttered, "Thank you."

Kanda shrugged, "You should probably use your voice a bit more."

Krystal ignored him ands reached over her shoulder to grab her flute, but her bag was missing. "My bag," she said, dismayed.

Daisya looked up, "It must have gotten caught in the crossfire," he said.

Krystal smacked her forehead and groaned, "My flute was in it. It's probably destroyed."

Daisya put a hand on her shoulder, "It's ok. Be grateful you got out alive."

"About that," Kanda said, drinking his tea, "what happened back there?"

"You know, I was wondering the same thing," Daisya turned to Krystal, "do you remember what happened, what you were thinking?"

"The akuma started gathering," she started, "and I felt this burning in my chest, like I couldn't breathe. My lungs were on fire," she grew short of breath remembering the cold fear that settled in her chest. "I started coughing up blood and General Tiedoll put up that shield. The blood kept coming and I felt dizzy. I really thought I was going to die there. I remembered all my friends who died and thought I was going to see them. Then I wasn't dizzy and saw Kanda get shot. I was so scared; I didn't know what to do. I screamed." She finished, then looked up at Kanda, "You were shot."

Kanda shrugged it off and drank his tea, examining the arrival times for the trains.

Krystal stood up, pointing at him, "You were shot. By an akuma. You didn't die." She remembered the piles of dust at her house and the circus.

"Would you rather I died?" he asked.

"No," she explained, "but…you…the bullets…"

"My body is immune to the akuma virus," he said shortly.

Krystal opened her mouth to respond, but General Tiedoll called them, saying the train had arrived.

The conductor showed them to a private, first class carriage. General Tiedoll sat next to the window with Krystal sitting across from him. Daisya and Kanda sat by the door, with Kanda next to Krystal and Daisya seated by the General.

The mostly empty train pulled out of the station as the setting sun peeked out from the rainclouds. The horizon lit up briefly before being darkened by the coming night. The scenery of trees and warm-colored tulips as they passed into Belgium was replaced by Krystal's own reflection.

She hadn't changed much since she left the circus. She fingered the split ends on her hair. Maybe she was a bit dirtier and paler than before, but she looked the same. On the inside, though, was a different story. Over the past month she had matured and become more independent. Here lilac eyes stared back at her in the window. They seemed clearer and deeper that they had been before.

"What are you staring at?" Kanda's voice cut through he thoughts. "It's been dark for an hour and you've been staring out the window.

Krystal looked up. Daisya was dozing against the wall of the compartment and General Tiedoll was sketching Athens from memory. Krystal shrugged, "Just daydreaming, I guess."

"Tch," Kanda turned to her, "you just found out that you could talk after fifteen years, and you spend an hour and a half daydreaming?"

Krystal turned to face him, folding her knees against her chest, "I guess I'm not used to talking, so I don't know what to say. I miss my flute, though. I felt like I could talk through it."

"Try humming," Daisya muttered, half-asleep, "it's kind of the same."

Krystal leaned her back against the window and wrapper her arms around her knees. She closed her eyes and imagined herself back at the gypsy cam with Leonata. She listened, and could almost hear the guitar. She hummed to herself, remembering the lively dancing around the fire.

General Tiedoll's pencil stopped recreating Athens and he looked up, "You have a beautiful voice, Krystal. It's a shame that it's been quiet for fifteen years."

Patches of pink appeared on her cheeks and she smiled, "Thank you," she said, unconsciously signing at the same time.

The train clattered over a bridge, water underneath them sparkling in the moonlight. General Tiedoll looked out at the window, "Another hour, I think. We're in France now. A finder will be waiting for us on the beach in Dunkerque who will take us to the Order from there."

Kanda and Daisya nodded. Krystal shifted in her seat, looking out the window. She had never actually travelled this far west before. The circus had been in Hamburg once, but that was as far as she had gone. The lights of Dunkeque grew in the distance. Soon, a sprawling coast town materialized around them. The train station was elegant, with white plaster walls and green trim around the ceiling.

The conductor called for the passengers to disembark. Kanda slid open the door and exited, followed by Daisya. Krystal stood up and was met by a swooning sensation. She leaned against the cool window for support.

General Tiedoll looked at her nervously, "Are you ok?"

Krystal blinked a few times, clearing the dots from her vision. "I'm fine," she said. She stepped off the train and looked around. The streets were lit with lanterns casting long shadows. In the distance, waves crashed on a beach.

Daisya turned onto a main street, "The shore is this way," he said.

Krystal looked up at the stars twinkling in the night sky. She felt blood rush to her head and felt dizzy again, so she returned her gaze to the street. A thought struck her, "What day is it?"

General Tiedoll thought, "Hmmm…Is should be August twenty-second," a church bell chimed in the distance, "I stand corrected. It's August twenty-third."

Krystal laughed. It was warm, rich laugh filled with genuine mirth. Kanda looked at her, "What's so funny?"

Krystal wiped a tear from here eye, "Today is August twenty-third. It's my sixteenth birthday."

"Happy birthday," Daisya said as he jumped off the sidewalk and into a sand dune. "Let's hope that finder has a lantern."

Sure enough, a glimmer of golden light appeared near the water's edge. A man dressed in a white robe was holding a lantern in one hand and a mooring rope in the other. "General Tiedoll," he called, "good to see you."

The General adjusted his glasses, "Jeremy, is that you?"

The young man had sparkling blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. He grinned, "Komui sent me out here to fetch you." He motioned to the small motorboat floating on the waves, "The Channel is calm tonight. It should be a smooth ride."

The General nodded, "Well, let's go. We need to get there before daybreak."

"Of course," the finder nodded.

The boat rocked very little as the lights of France drifted farther away. Krystal looked back one more time, but was overcome with dizziness again. She clutched her head and leaned forward.

"Are you alright, Miss Krystal?" Jeremy asked.

"Mhmm," Krystal muttered, "I'm a bit dizzy, that's all."

"Perhaps you should close your eyes," he suggested, "not everyone is fit for sea travel, especially the Channel on its best days."

Krystal's balance didn't return, however. She leaned over and splashed the cool saltwater on her face. She woke up a bit and got salt in her eyes, but she still remained dizzy. Jeremy soaked a towel in the water and advised her to lay down. In the small boat, there was little room for her to lay down, but after some shuffling, she rested her head on Kanda's legs.  
"Sorry," she murmured, grinning weakly.

"Don't apologize," he said, "you look awful."

"Thanks," she said drily.

After two hours, the boat bumped into a dock in a secluded cove in the face of a looming cliff. Jeremy roped the boat to the dock and helped the General off. Daisya leapt off after him, leaving Kanda and Krystal on the boat. She sat up, peeling the cloth off her forehead.

She leaned heavily on Jeremy as she disembarked, wobbling a bit as she stepped onto the dock. The dock led to a small entrance which opened to a long flight of stairs. Krystal looked up the steps, wondering how high they went when her knees gave out from under her. She collapsed against the doorway, leaning heavily on a very surprised Daisya.

She breathed heavily, "I can do this," she panted, cold sweat rolling down her neck.

A third of the way up the flight of stairs, her legs went completely numb. She fell backwards, but found herself caught by Kanda. General Tiedoll turned to her, "Can you walk?"

She tried to stand up, but her legs could not support her anymore. She felt dizzy and collapsed against Kanda. Her hair stuck to her face and her hands trembled. She felt a pair of hands under her arms, "Can you stand?" asked Kanda.

She held onto his shoulders and tested standing on her own, "Kind of," she determined.

They continued up the flight of stairs, Kanda half-supporting, half-carrying her. Finally, they reached a door emblazoned wit the same cross on the uniforms the exorcists wore. Jeremy knocked once, paused, and knocked twice more.

The door opened into a grand entrance hall with a high, vaulted ceiling and tall Roman columns. Krystal followed one of the pillars up to the ceiling, but her sense of vertigo returned, spots appearing in front of her eyes.

She heard a voice call from across the hall, "General Tiedoll, we weren't expecting you for another few days."

"Yes, Komui," the General replied, "but this girl needs immediate medical attention and I think she might be an accommodator."

The man, presumably Komui, appeared in Krystal's vision, his dark eyes concerned, "Are you ok, miss?"

Krystal swayed where she stood and managed to say, "Not really," before the dark spots clouded her vision and she passed out.

* * *

Whoops, another cliffhanger. SORRY! Don't worry. Next time, we get to meet Lavi, Lenalee and Komui (for real). Keep reading!

So, I realized I failed to make the poll concerning Kanda's golem visible on my profile. Fail. I fixed it, so please vote for what Krystal will name Kanda's golem.

See you next week!

~~BJ


	11. The Black Order

Hey everyone! The response to last chapter was absolutely amazing. Luckily this chapter doesn't have a stress-inducing cliffhangar! Unfortuantely, it's obscenely long XD I got a bit carried away, but there wasn't a good place to stop.

So, in this chapter, we meet all sorts of fun people: Komui, Lenalee, Reever, Hevlaska, Lavi and Marie. That's a lot of introductions! It's also the first time someone at the Order calls Krystal "Krys", which I've been calling her forever. Hooray forward plot motion! It only gets more interesting from here. I have two years of missions to write befor moyashi gets here, however, so this is definitely going to be interesting. XD

About the poll: There's one week left to decide what Krystal's gonna call Kanda's golem! So far, The Magestic Count Olaf III is leading, and I already have an idea for the reasoning (Krys: muahahahahahaha) So vote! =D

Disclaimer: I own...nothing.

* * *

Sights and sounds blurred through Krystal's mind. She heard muted conversation and thought she recognized Daisya's voice once or twice, but never made out the words. A young girl's voice sometimes spoke up once in a while.

She turned in her sleep and felt a tug in her arm. She opened her eyes and was greeted by bright, white light. She stirred and sat up in bed, rubbing her head. The conversation in the corner of the room stopped and everyone turned to face her. General Tiedoll and Daisya were talking to the man the General had called Komui. He was a young man with long black hair in a ponytail over the shoulder of his white coat. Next to Komui was a small girl about fourteen years old and wore a coat similar to the exorcists, but was paired with a short skirt.

The girl looked at Krystal, "Oh, you're up." Her voice was kind and she smiled earnestly, "We were a bit worried about you at first, but you're fine now." She had long black hair clasped in two pigtails and her eyes were a dark violet, bordering on indigo.

The man named Komui placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder, "It's nice to see you're up. How do you feel?"

Krystal sat up straighter, noticing that she was in a hospital bed and had two IV's trailing out of her arm. She was wearing a pale blue nightgown and her hair was in complete disarray. She tried to speak, but she found that her voice had abandoned her. _I feel fine_, she signed. _I'm confused, though. Where are we?_

"You're at the Headquarters of the Black Order," Komui explained, "I'm the Supervisor of the Order, Komui Lee. You passed out when you arrived early this morning, so we transported you to our infirmary."

Krystal nodded. She turned to General Tiedoll, _Why can't I speak?_ she signed.

The General looked at her carefully, "This only enforces our theory that you're an accommodator. Usually, Innocence cannot remain activated when its user is asleep, so it deactivates. Innocence also takes a great physical toll on its accommodator, especially a parasitic-type, which we think you might be."

Komui elaborated, "The General explained what happened yesterday. Your activation sounds very impressive. Try to focus on how you felt that night when it first activated and maybe it will reactivate."

Krystal closed her eyes and turned her attention inward. For the first time, she noticed a small presence, a sort of warm energy at the base of her throat. She remembered the exhilaration she felt last night, the rush of power and thrill of adrenaline. She directed her thoughts to the warmth, and thought, _activate_.

The warmth spread through her chest and she breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up, "It worked."

The young girl clapped her hands, "That's amazing."

Komui looked impressed, "That greatly helps our theory, but before we officially declare you an exorcist, would you permit us to examine your Innocence?"

Krystal put a wary hand on her throat, "Examine…how?"

"Oh, nothing invasive, I assure you." He raised his hands, "We just want to gauge a few things about the power and type of your Innocence."

Krystal shrugged, "I guess."

"Splendid. Whenever you feel ready, you can leave the infirmary. You've been cleared." He stepped out of the room followed by General Tiedoll and Daisya.

The young girl stayed in the room, "I'm Lenalee," she introduced herself, "the Supervisor's assistant."

Krystal smiled and held out her hand, "I'm Krystal Cyra," she said, "and I guess I'm going to be an exorcist soon."

Lenalee shook her hand, "I got you a change of clothes," she motioned to a bundle sitting on the bedside table, "I think they should fit. I'll wait outside until you're changed." She left the room, leaving Krystal to her thoughts.

A nurse came in and disconnected the IV from Krystal's arm and placed a cup of water and a small pill on the table, "To make sure you're stable," she explained before leaving again.

Krystal popped the pill in her mouth and drank the cool water, finding herself thirsty. She turned to the clothes Lenalee had left; a pair of black pants and a simple white blouse. The clothes fit well and she pulled on her shoes as walked out of the infirmary.

Lenalee turned to Krystal, "Ok, we'll meet my brother at the elevator."

"Your brother?" Krystal asked, combing through he hair with her fingers.

"Head Officer Komui is my older brother," Lenalee explained, "he came to the Order after I was found to be an accommodator for Innocence."

"You're an exorcist too?" Krystal asked.

Lenalee nodded, "I've been with the Order since I was six."

"That's a long time," Krystal said.

"It was bad the first couple of years," Lenalee explained, turning down a hall to the main area of Headquarters, "but when my brother came, things got a lot better." She stopped at the end of the hallway, "He should be here."

Krystal stepped out of the hall way into a circular area with a long shaft stretching far above and below them. Krystal stepped to the guard rail and peered upwards. The entire building followed a cylindrical pattern, a skylight at the top letting sunlight stream in.

A low hum started below them and Krystal looked down to see a square platform rising from a few floors below them. The platform rose to the same level Lenalee and Krystal were standing. Komui stood operating a control box and a tired-looking man with reddish-blonde hair was leaning against the railing.

Komui smiled at the two girls, "Climb aboard. Krystal, this is Section Leader Reever Wenham. He heads the science department and will be observing your Innocence for our records."

Reever waved and gave a small nod, "Sorry if I don't make conversation," he said, yawning, "I was running around making preparations last night when we heard that a possible accommodator was coming."

Krystal followed Lenalee onto the elevator, "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to deprive you of sleep."

Reever smiled, "Nah, I'm sleep-deprived as it is, working for the Supervisor. One of these days, I'll just take a week off and sleep."

"Now, now, Section Leader," Komui chided as the elevator descended, "if you took a week off, the entire Order would come to a standstill."

"Only because it would be buried under the paperwork you didn't sign," Reever shot back.

Komui's face fell, "That's a low blow, Reever."

Krystal broke up the impending argument, "So where exactly are we going?" she asked, peering into the dark below.

Komui slowed the elevator to a stop, "We want a qualified expert to examine your Innocence, so we can learn as much as we can about it."

"'Qualified expert'?" Krystal asked apprehensively, "what exactly do you mean?"

"Hevlaska," Komui said, nodding.

"'Hevlaska'?" Krystal asked, "who's He-" she suddenly became aware of a massive presence behind her. The presence was similar to the feeling she had last night in the rainy field, except multiplied a thousandfold.

She turned around and saw a giant white being behind her. Hundreds of white tendrils flowed around it. Krystal shuddered and stifled a scream as one of the tendrils wrapped itself around her waist and lifted her off the elevator platform. Other, smaller tendrils draped themselves over her, probing and exploring. She felt as though they were looking inside her. A wave of panic swept over her as one of the tendrils moved towards her throat. She began struggling against the tendril's hold on her, not caring if she fell.

An ethereal voice spoke gently, "Calm down, young exorcist."

Krystal stopped fighting and looked up. A beautiful face snaked down from the head of the tendrils. Obviously belonging to a woman, the face was calm and as pale white as the rest of her body. Her eyes were hidden by the white cowls draped over her body.

"Hevlaska," Komui called from below, "is it indeed Innocence?"

The tendril moved towards Krystal's throat again. This time, Krystal did not struggle. A comforting heat spread through her body as the tendrils probed.

"18…27…48…73…87…91," Hevlaska said. "She has a 91% synchronization rate with her Innocence."

Reever whistled below, "91%. Wow."

Krystal was lowered back to the platform. "I apologize if I alarmed you, child," Hevlaska said, "I best connect with Innocence by touch."

Krystal nodded, holding tightly to the guard rail of the elevator platform.

Komui turned to face Hevlaska, "So, did you sense anything about Krystal's Innocence?"

"Krystal Cyra," Hevlaska said, "your Innocence is one of creation as well as destruction. As you create, do not allow yourself to be destroyed in the process. That is what your Innocence has told me."

Krystal's eyes widened, _creation as well as destruction_. Destruction to the akuma; but creation of what? And what did Hevlaska mean "do not allow yourself to be destroyed in the process"?

Komui interrupted her thoughts, "Do you have any questions, Krystal?"  
There was one question that had been lurking at the edge of her mind, "What is Innocence?" she asked, "Where did it come from?"  
Komui nodded slowly, "That is a question many people ask. It started one hundred years ago, when a cube was discovered in northern Europe. Inside the cube, a prophecy was left behind by a civilization that had survived Noah's Flood, or as they referenced it, 'the three days of darkness'."

"Noah's Flood?" Krystal asked incredulously, "like the story in the Bible?"

"Precisely," Komui nodded, "The people who made the cube tell of a powerful material they used in an epic battle against the Millennium Earl and the akuma. In the end, the result of this battle was the 'three days of darkness'. The material, called 'God's Crystal' or 'Innocence' was the same material that the cube was made of. According to the prophecy, the three days of darkness will return, and the world will fall into the Earl's hands.

That is where exorcists come in. Exorcists are able to harness Innocence and use it to fight against the Earl and his akuma using anti-akuma weapons. There are two types of anti-akuma weapons: equipment-type and parasite-type. Equipment-type are like Kanda, Daisya and General Tiedoll's Innocence. It has been refined into a usable weapon. Parasite-types, like you, are much rarer. They have Innocence in their bodies, making them an anti-akuma weapon themselves. The Black Order exists to find and train exorcists to prevent the prophecy in the cube from coming true."

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smiled wryly, "Unfortunately, during the flood, Innocence was dispersed throughout the world, making the Order's task to find Innocence as well as its accommodator. There are 109 pieces of Innocence in the world. The Order's mission is a race against the Earl, who is out to destroy Innocence as well as mankind, to find all the Innocence fragments."

Krystal's eyes widened with the intake of information. She cracked a smile, "So we're out to save humankind from destruction and we're seriously outnumbered. No pressure."

Komui laughed, "That's the long and short of it. As an exorcist, you'll be sent on missions around the world to find and collect Innocence. Besides travel expenses, food and lodging, you make practically nothing." He smiled, holding out his hand, "Welcome to the Black Order."

Krystal shook his hand enthusiastically, "I'll do the best I can to help your mission."

"Krystal," Hevlaska's eerie voice drifted through the conversation, "may God's protection be with you as you set out on your journey. It will be a long one."

"Hevlaska is an accommodator as well," Komui explained, "she is the guardian of the cube as well as any Innocence that has not found an accommodator yet."

"I have been with the Order since its inception and have seen many exorcists," Hevlaska added, "each is special and brings their own talent to the battle."

Krystal place one hand on her heart, "I won't let you down."

Komui pushed a lever on the elevator and it shuddered to life, drifting upward. Reever, who had been dozing on the guard rail, jerked awake, "What'd I miss?"

Lenalee filled him in and Krystal watched as Hevlaska's chamber drifted out of sight. She was officially an exorcist now. She reflected on how twenty-four hours ago, she hadn't said a word in sixteen years.

The elevator stopped a few levels from the top floor. Komui opened the gate, "Lenalee, show Krystal her room and give her an overview of where everything is. I'm going to find General Tiedoll and fill him in."

Lenalee nodded and waved as her brother descended again. She turned to Krystal, "I'm really excited that you're an exorcist," she said, "there isn't anyone our age, except for Kanda-" she caught herself, "I almost forgot. We had another new arrival a few nights ago. He's your and Kanda's age." Krystal nodded, letting Lenalee's words sink in. Lenalee turned to a polished oak door, "I think my brother said that this was your room."

Krystal pushed open the door. The room was relatively small and the ceiling was low, creating a close, homey feeling. Directly across from the door was a large bay window with light blue drapes. To one side was a bed and on the other side was a large armoire with a mirror on one door.

Krystal collapsed on the soft bed, the smell of clean linens surrounding her, "The last time I had my own room, I was seven."

"What happened between then and now," Lenalee asked, "If you don't mind my asking."

"My town was wiped out by an akuma attack. My friend and I were the only survivors, so joined a travelling circus, though it was more of a performing troupe," Krystal explained, "we were seven and eight. A month and a half ago, I met Kanda, Daisya and General Tiedoll. That night, there was another akuma attack, and I managed to survive again. I didn't have anywhere to go, so I went with them. Last night, we were surrounded by akuma, and my Innocence activated for the first time. We ended up here," she finished, "the end."

Lenalee laughed, then she looked at Krystal appraisingly, "You have to be awfully strong to still fight after what happened."

"I fight for my family. Past and present," Krystal explained simply.

Lenalee nodded somberly, then brightened up suddenly, "Let me show you the rest of the Order."

Krystal agreed and they left the small room. Lenalee showed her around the chapel, where all the pews were pushed to the sides, leaving a large open space in the middle. The ceiling was large and vaulted, with stained glass windows letting colored light dance on the floor. Krystal noted the open space.

"We use the chapel for funerals," Lenalee explained sadly, "there was an attack in Serbia and we lost a lot of finders a few days ago."

Krystal lit a memorial candle on the side for her friends and family, as well as the Order members who had died. When she finished, she looked up at the ceiling, "The acoustics in here are amazing."

"Really," Lenalee said, looking up as well, "I never really noticed."

They left the chapel and Lenalee showed Krystal the Science department and the dining hall. She pushed open a pair of heavy oak doors, "This is the library," she explained, "I'm not sure if anyone's in here."

Krystal walked inside, the cool air greeting her along with the smell of paper and ink. There were small wooden tables scattered around the library, each with a few armchairs at each table. Bookshelves with heavy leather-bound volumes filled the room.

At the center of the shelves, someone had pushed two of the small tables together and covered the surface with a stack of books at least two feet high, as well as filling three armchairs with yellowed scrolls. In the fourth armchair, a young man around eighteen sat cross-legged with three books open at once, flipping the pages and deeply absorbed in his work.

Where Krystal's hair was a reddish-auburn, this boy's hair was bright red and sticking up at various angles, held back by a black bandana. One green eye scanned the books in front of him, while the other was covered by a black eye patch. He held his tongue between his teeth as he mad a note in the margin of one of the books.

Lenalee's eyes brightened, "That's the new exorcist I told you about," she explained. She called to the red-haired boy, "Lavi!"

Lavi jerked his head up, two gold earrings flashing in the lamp light. He flashed a smile at the two girls, "Hey, what's up?"

"This is Krystal," Lenalee introduced her, "she just got here last night."

Lavi nodded, "I heard the commotion." He turned to Krystal, "I'm Lavi."

"Krystal," she said. She looked at the massive pile of literature surrounding him, "What's with all the books?"

Lavi grinned, "Just a bit of research," he shrugged and slid out of his chair stretching, "I've been in here since lunch." He turned to Lenalee, "What time is it?"

She checked her watch, "Five o'clock."

Lavi shuddered slightly, "Five hours." He looked around, "You haven't seen the Old Panda around, have you?"

"Bookman? No, why?"

Lavi sauntered to the door, "I'm done researching for today, I'll hit the books again tomorrow." He threw one arm around Krystal and another around Lenalee, "So, where are we going?"

"I was just about to find my brother," Lenalee explained.

"Great," Lavi said, steering the trio out of the library, "I'll go with you."

With the addition of Lavi, they strolled down the corridors back towards the science department. Lavi appeared to be the polar opposite of Lenalee. Where she was quiet and passive, Lavi was loud and boisterous, sharing outrageous stories from times he had travelled with "the Old Panda".

Krystal had tried shrugging off his arm once or twice, but he had only returned it to her shoulder a minute later.

"So," Lavi changed the topic of conversation and turned to Krystal, "how old are you?"

"Sixteen," she replied.

Lavi nodded, "So am I. When's your birthday?"

"Today," she said with a small smile.

Lenalee smiled, "Happy birthday."

"No way," Lavi jumped back, "that's so cool. I'm still older than you, though; my birthday was two weeks ago, on the tenth."

Krystal nodded; glad to have his arm off of her for the moment. They walked through another doorway into the science department. Komui was talking with General Tiedoll, Kanda, Daisya and another man who Krystal didn't recognize. He was easily the biggest of the five, towering over General Tiedoll by a head. He had dark skin and his head was shaved, except for a patch on top that was tied back in a single braid.

Komui said something and General Tiedoll nodded. Kanda, apparently, disagreed, "Our team?" he shouted, "it's already the largest group. Why can't she be with General Klaud? She's looking for new students."

"Yu," General Tiedoll said dangerously, "she'll be with our group. She already knows you, Daisya and I, and I have a feeling she and Marie will get along fine."

By this time, Krystal, Lenalee and Lavi had reached where the four exorcists and Komui were standing.

Lavi looked at Kanda and leaned over, whispering loudly, "What's up with Yu?"

Kanda turned quickly on Lavi, drawing his sword, "What was that?"

"Relax, Yu," Lavi said nervously.

Kanda lunged for the redhead. Lenalee and Krystal sprung into action, Lenalee dragging Lavi away, and Krystal grabbing Kanda's arm, preventing him from slicing Lavi in two.

Komui raised his voice, "That's enough, Kanda." He turned to the other exorcists, "This is Lavi. He is a member of the Bookman clan and is here recording the war against the Earl. He will also be on active duty as an exorcist, so please," he aimed the next part at Kanda, "try to get along."

Kanda sheathed his sword and Krystal let go of his sleeve. Lavi eyed Kanda nervously, wondering if it was safe to come out from behind Lenalee.

Komui turned to Krystal, "I was explaining that you will be learning under General Tiedoll, along with his other three apprentices; Kanda and Daisya, who you've met already, and Noise Marie," he motioned to the large man standing behind General Tiedoll, who as of yet, had not said a word.

Krystal gave Marie a small wave, "Hello."

Marie's brow furrowed, and he touched the silver earphones he wore, "Komui," he said, his voice deep and slow, "her voice…there's something I can't-"

"Ah," Komui smacked his forehead, "I forgot to tell you. Krystal's Innocence is in her voicebox. As a parasite-type, her voice is controlled by the Innocence in her body."

Marie nodded, "I see," he held out a large hand, "It's nice to meet you, Krystal."

Krystal looked at his hand, three inches to the right of her shoulder. She scooted over and shook it, "It's nice to meet you too," she smiled.

"Marie's blind," General Tiedoll explained, "It might take a few days to for him to fully situate himself with a new addition to the team."

Mari smiled apologetically, "I apologize in advance for any mistakes I might make," he gently squeezed her hand, "You're smaller than I thought, having such a big voice."

Krystal smiled, "Thank you."

Komui clapped his hands, "Well, now that the introductions have all been made, I need to get back to work, or Reever'll have my head."

"I might take it anyway, Supervisor," Reever called from behind a large machine.

"Right," Komui eyed the machine and the Section Leader behind it nervously. He turned to Krystal, "You'll receive your first mission in a few days, if not sooner. If you need any help, you know where to find us." He disappeared into the chaos of the Science Division, calling, "Section Leader Reever, have you seen my coffee mug?"

Lenalee smiled, "That's my cue. It was nice meeting you, Krystal." She waved and ran after her brother.

"Nice meeting you too," Krystal called back.

"Well," Daisya said, "I'm going to dinner, who's in?"

"Me," Lavi raised his hand, still eyeing Kanda nervously, "Yu?"

"It's Kanda," he corrected, "I'll be down soon."

"I'll go down too," Marie said, "I just got back from Scotland. I could use a warm meal."

Krystal shrugged, "Sure, why not?" She followed the others, thinking about everything that had happened today.

Daisya cut across her thoughts, "Krys, I almost forgot."

She looked up, "What?"

Daisya pulled the pad he had been keeping score on, "After last night, I re-tallied the score, adding you as a contender. I rounded a bit, estimating the number of akuma you destroyed to around a hundred and forty. Making the total; me: a hundred and twenty-three, and you beating Kanda by four, him with a hundred and thirty-six and you with a hundred forty. You won for this mission. Good job."

Krystal was stunned, "Um…ok."

"Of course," Daisya said nonchalantly, "it could be beginner's luck. We'll have to see what happens after you've had some training."

Krystal grinned, "You're on."

Daisya cackled, "That's the spirit! Welcome to the team."

Krystal smiled as the others entered the dining hall, thinking, _I did it. I'm finally at the Black Order as an exorcist. Now I start my real journey_.

It was Kanda's turn to interrupt her reverie, "Krystal."

She looked up at him, "Yeah?" His dark blue eyes were just as mysterious and clouded as the night at the gypsy camp, drawing her in. _If I look for another moment_, she thought, _I'll understand_.

"Happy Birthday," he said. He held out his hand, "and welcome to the Order."

She shook his hand, feeling the calloused roughness from using a sword often. She smiled, "Thanks," and went into dinner with her new friends.

* * *

It's not exactly over-emotional sharing, but with Kanda, what is?

Kanda: Hey!

Don't you hve an emo corner to occupy?

Kanda: ...grrrrr...

Krystal: Hey, look, soba! C'mon, let's get food *drags angry Kanda away from author*

That child'll save my life some day.

So review! I'm not sure if I got Lavi and Lenalee right, so tell me! Also, my traffic is down again, so tell me what you think! =D And don't forget to vote!

Love, music and soba!

~~BJ


	12. Exorcist

Well hey there, readers! I just have to say that Silent Music has just celebrated its 3000th hit. Can I just say HOLYOMFGWAFFLES! You guys are amazing.

Anyway, I don't have a lot to say except that the jacket design for Krys is on my deviantART (link on my profile) and the Kyrie I used as a base is from the Death Note OST (Really good OST! Check it out!)

I honestly don't have a lot to say about this chapter, except that wow, Krystal eats a lot.

Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. It.  
Side note: I do, however have a Kanda paperchild on my laptop! (also on deviantART. Please visit!)

* * *

The next morning, Krystal woke up with the sun. She squinted her eyes and looked out the window, soaking in the sunrise. Mist rose from the tops of the trees below the Order. A flock of birds flew towards the sun, scattered by a movement far below.

She looked down at herself and realized that she had fallen asleep fully dressed last night after talking with Lenalee and Lavi over tea in the dining hall. She grimaced when she realized that she didn't have any other clothes. She thought back to last night:

"_Lenalee," Krystal said._

_The dark haired girl looked up, "Yeah?"_

"_Where are the clothes I was wearing when I got here this morning?"_

"_Oh," she said, "they were really dirty and scorched, so I threw them away."_

_She placed her face in her palm and groaned, "Fantastic."_

"_What?" Lenalee leaned her head to one side._

"_Those were my only clothes. The rest got destroyed when we were attacked."_

_Lenalee clapped her hands over her mouth and Lavi howled with laughter, "Way to go, Lenalee."_

"_I'm so sorry," Lenalee said earnestly, "I didn't know. I'll make it up to you soon. I'll take you shopping."_

Krystal ran a comb through her hair, dragging out the knots. She reached back to draw it into a loose ponytail, but realized that she had nothing to tie it back with. She ran the comb through her hair one last time and walked out the door, pulling on her shoes as she went.

She retraced the path Lenalee had shown her the previous day and eventually found herself in the Science Department corridor. There, she spotted Lenalee offering a tray of coffee to an extremely tired-looking Reever.

"Section Leader," Lenalee said, "you really need to get some sleep. This is the second all-nighter in a row you pulled."

Reever gratefully accepted his coffee, "I know, Lenalee. I'll probably be able to get some sleep tonight. I finished entering the information on Lavi, Krystal and their respective Innocence. Now that that's done, I might be able to sleep."

"Good," Lenalee nodded, "Now have you seen my brother anywhere?"

"Last I saw, he was in his office," replied Reever, "he probably got buried under the paperwork on his desk."

Lenalee smiled wryly, "I'll go find him." She turned to leave when she spotted Krystal, "Oh, hey Krystal," she said cheerily, "what's up?"

_I was wondering if you had a__n extra hair tie I could borrow_, she signed.

Lenalee bit her lip, "I'm really sorry, Krys. I don't know sign language as well as my brother."

Krystal widened her eyes and parted her lips in a perfect _oh_. She closed her eyes and focused her energy on the Innocence inside her. _Activate_, she thought. The now familiar warmth spread, taking less effort than before. She smiled, "That's better. I was wondering if you had a hair tie or a ribbon or something I could borrow."

Lenalee twirled a finger in one of her long pigtails, "I'm pretty sure I have a ribbon in my room somewhere. Let me give my brother his coffee, then I can get your ribbon and we can go down to breakfast."

"Sounds good," Krystal followed Lenalee into the adjacent office. The lights were off, but there were muffled sounds of breathing somewhere towards the other side of the room.

"Brother," Lenalee called, turning on the lights, "I have your coffee."

Krystal's first impression of the room was white. The ceiling, floor and walls were all covered in white. On second inspection, however, she saw that the white on the floor were really papers scattered in every direction on what one could vaguely discern as a green tiled floor. The white on the walls was actually due to twenty or so maps pulled in front of towering bookshelves that reached to the ceiling, which was in fact, white. At the far side of the room was a desk stacked with papers, hiding whatever was behind it. Across from the desk was a dark green couch occupying the only free space on the floor.

Lenalee approached the desk nervously, "Brother?" she asked, "Are you back there?" There was a shuffling and a stack of papers fell off the edge of the desk, revealing Head Officer Komui sprawled across the desk asleep.

Lenalee sighed just as Reever entered the room, carrying a stack of papers. The Science Section Leader took one look at the passed out Supervisor and sighed. He casually set the papers on the desk and shook Komui. "Komui," he called, "Head Officer Komui." There was no response from the figure across the desk.

"Is he ok?" Krystal asked nervously.

Lenalee nodded, "He's fine. Brother just sometimes overworks himself and falls asleep at his desk. Section Leader Reever is one of the only ones who can wake him up."

Reever gave his superior one last shake before sighing and turning to Lenalee, "You might want to put the hot coffee down."

She nodded and set the tray of coffee precariously on the couch.

Reever nodded solemnly and bent over the prone Komui. Krystal leaned in to hear what Reever whispered in his ear. "Komui," he muttered, "Lenalee is going on secret dates behind your back."

Krystal wondered how whispering could possibly wake him up, but was stunned by the effect.

Komui vaulted over his desk, scattering the papers Reever had just put there, and raced toward Lenalee, who appeared braced for impact. "How could you Lenalee?" he wailed, "How could you go about dating some unknown man behind your own brother's back? I thought that you promised, no dating until you're eighteen!"

"Brother," Lenalee muttered, blushing profusely, "I'm not dating anyone."

"Oh," Komui instantly calmed down, "that's different." He turned to Reever who was dejectedly picking up the scattered papers, "What did you need, Section Leader?"

"I need your approval on these forms," he said wearily.

"Of course," Komui said merrily, "just as soon as I have my coffee."

"It's right here, brother," Lenalee offered him the mug.

Komui took the coffee and embraced his sister warmly, "My dear, sweet Lenalee, what would I do without you?"

"Supervisor," Reever called, "the forms?"

"Ah," Komui's face fell, "yes. Coming." He sulked back to his desk where Reever watched over his shoulder as he signed the stack of documents.

Lenalee left the office and Krystal followed. "Is your brother always like that?" she asked.

"Sometimes," Lenalee admitted, smoothing the pleats in her skirt, "because we were separated when I was taken to the Order, he can be a bit overprotective."

"Just a bit," Krystal laughed.

Lenalee smiled, opening the door to her room, "He's not too bad. I'm really glad he's here." She started rummaging around in a trinket box, "I'm almost positive I had some ribbon somewhere," she said. "Here it is!" She produced a length of blue silk ribbon, "This will go with your hair nicely. I'll put it in if you want." Krystal smiled and flipped her hair over her back. Lenalee secured her long auburn hair at the base of her neck. "Perfect," she said.

Krystal swept her bangs to one side, "Let's get some breakfast. I'm starving."

Lenalee laughed, "At least you have priorities."

Krystal winced, "Was that too direct?"

"No," Lenalee said, retracing the path to the dining hall, "my brother actually has a theory that parasite-type exorcists eat more because they have to sustain themselves as well as the Innocence."

Krystal pondered this, "It makes sense, I guess. I haven't really figured out what my Innocence does, except for enabling me to talk and blow up akuma. And I'm not even sure how I did that."

Lenalee twirled her finger in one of her pigtails again, "Well, that's why we have so many training rooms. You can figure out the basics before your first mission, though being an exorcist is a learn-as-you-go job most of the time."

"And what did your brother say about the exorcists being divided in teams?" Krystal asked.

"Right. Well, there are five generals in the Order, and each general has three or four pupils. There's General Tiedoll, who you met, you're part of his team. There's also General Yeggar, who's my master; General Sokalo, General Klaud Nine and General Cross. You'll meet most of the Generals this week, because there's the annual report to Central and the Vatican."

"When you say 'most of the Generals'," Krystal asked, "what do you mean?"

"Oh," she said, faltering slightly, "one of the Generals-General Cross- hasn't reported his whereabouts for the past two years."

Krystal's eyes widened, "That's not good. Are we looking for him?"

"The thing is," Lenalee said, "General Cross is very good at not being found. He's also one of the most powerful Generals out of the five, so we would have heard if he died. My brother thinks he might be slacking off."

"But he's a General!" Krystal said, scandalized, "Aren't they supposed to, you know, lead the rest of the exorcists?"

"General Cross doesn't have any students," Lenalee said, "he prefers to go on missions alone, so he rarely reports in anyway."

They turned the corner and entered the dining hall. The large, vaulted room was buzzing with breakfast traffic and the sound of chatter and utensils on plates. The window to the kitchen cleared and Lenalee stepped up.

The head cook, Jerry, leaned on the counter and smiled warmly, "Good morning, Miss Lenalee," he said brightly. Two long, black braids ran down his back and he wore a pair of dark, mirrored sunglasses. He held a frying pan in one hand and propped his chin up with the other, "What can I get for you this morning?"

"I think some toast and eggs, Jerry," Lenalee said politely, "and a cup of coffee."

"Coming right up!" Jerry cried. He disappeared into the kitchen an appeared half a minute later with Lenalee's order arranged neatly on a tray, complete with edible flowers garnishing the side.

Lenalee smiled, "Those orchids are a nice touch," she said.

"You think?" Jerry asked, "I like them myself, and they're in season, so I bought a ton." He peered out the window in Krystal's direction, "Hey there, new girlie," he shouted, "come on down. I'll make you anything you want."

Krystal's eyes grew to the size of saucers, "Alright, then can I have three plates of eggs, scrambled; two plates of bacon; a plate of sausages; two bowls of porridge; and a stack about," she measured around two feet with her hands, "this big of toast? Oh, and a pot of Earl Gray tea and a bagel."

Jerry's eyes widened as he looked at Krystal, "And you're sure you'll eat all of that, hon?"

Krystal rocked on the balls of her feet and nodded, "Yep. I'm sure."

Jerry shrugged, "Ok." He disappeared back into the kitchen and there was a clank of multiple pots and pans as well as the click of a gas stove. Two minutes later, Jerry emerged with three heavily laden trays piled high with food, each dish wafting delicious smells and decorated with orchid flowers.

Krystal place one tray in the crook of her elbow and took one in each hand, balancing the food with an almost magic concentration. "Thanks, Jerry!" she grinned, "It looks great."

He waved, "Anytime, Krys. Anytime."

Lavi waved from a nearby table. His eyes widened when he saw Krystal laden down with food. He ran over and took one of the trays, "Jeez, Krystal, what were you thinking, getting this much food?" He set down the tray on the table, "I've heard of women eating for two, but this is eating for a small army."

Lavi's head snapped forward, as if by a mysterious force of nature, "Idiot," a voice from behind the redhead snapped, "learn some manners around ladies, will you?"

Lavi rubbed the back of his head, "Damn, Old Panda," he said, "that hurt."

His head snapped forward again, a bit lower this time, "Don't call me a panda," the still-disembodied voice said irritably.

Krystal leaned to her right to see who or what was causing Lavi so much pain. Standing behind the young exorcist was an old man who barely cleared Lavi's shoulders. His hair was grey and stood straight up in a ponytail on top of his head. Krystal saw the reason Lavi called him "panda", there were black circles around the man's eyes, making him look decidedly panda-like.

The old man inclined his head towards Krystal, "Pardon the whelp's rudeness, I've tried to teach him to be civilized, but the lesson hasn't sunk in yet."

"It's fine, really," Krystal said, setting down the other trays and sitting next to Lenalee. She offered her hand to the old man, "I'm Krystal, by the way. I just arrived yesterday."

"I heard," the old man said, shaking her hand politely. "I do not have a true name, but you may call me Bookman."

Lavi adjusted his bandana and sat down, grabbing a slice of Krystal's toast, "So why exactly are you feeding a small third-world nation, Krys?" Bookman hit Lavi on the back of the head again, causing the slice of toast to go flying.

Daisya, who happened to be walking by, caught the toast between two fingers, "If I knew that there would be toast flying around, I would have brought a net." He sat on the other side of Krystal and looked at the piles of food, "What's with the food? We didn't starve you going across Europe, did we?"

Krystal stabbed at one of the plates of bacon, "If I had known that people would continuously assault me for the amount of food I got, I would have just made multiple trips." She snatched the toast from Daisya's hand, "Do you think there's a possibility that I really am this hungry?"

Daisya shrugged, watching Krystal polish off a plate of eggs, "I guess it never occurred to me."

"Miss Krystal," Bookman asked, "you don't happen to be a parasite-type exorcist, would you?"

Krystal took a sip of tea, "I am, actually."

The old man nodded sagely, "That would explain your appetite. Parasite-types share a symbiotic relationship with their Innocence, so it is necessary to eat large amounts to fuel daily functions as well as their Innocence."

Krystal pushed a tray of empty plates away and started her assault on the second tray, "It makes sense, I guess. I never ate this much before I activated my Innocence." Lavi stared longingly at the stack of toast in front of her. Krystal sighed, "Have some toast," she waved a hand, "I'm probably not going to eat all of it."

Daisya and Lavi split half the stack of toast, and the food was mostly gone when another person ran up to the table they were sitting at. He was older than Krystal and Lavi, but younger than Reever. His white lab coat identified him as a member of the science department. He wore thick glasses and large black headphones. "Lavi," he called, brandishing a neatly folded pile of black and white fabric, "it's finished."

"Excellent," Lavi grinned, standing up. He took the bundle form the new appearance. He unfolded it, revealing a black jacket with white trim and an elaborate rose cross on the left breast. It was about the same length as Daisya's, reaching just about to his mid-thigh. There was a gap on the right side at the bottom. Lavi looked at the scientist, "This is great, Johnny, very nice."

"Try it on," Johnny said, "make sure it fits right."

Lavi slid on the jacket and did up the buttons and twisted around, swinging his arms. "Perfect," he declared.

Johnny reached into his pocket, "I also have a bandana and a scarf." The scarf was bright red, almost perfectly matching Lavi's hair, and the bandana was black and green, with a large circle in the center.

Lavi undid the bandana holding his hair back and replaced it with the new one. He threw the scarf around his neck and spread his arms, "How do I look?"

Daisya nodded his approval, waving a piece of toast, "Very nice. Snazzy, almost."

"I like the scarf," Krystal said, finishing the last piece of toast. "Where can I get a classy jacket like that?"

Johnny looked at Krystal, "Do I know you?"

"Oh," she said, "I'm Krystal Cyra. I just got here yesterday."

"Right!" Johnny exclaimed, "You're the new exorcist." He looked her up and down and started muttering to himself, "Longer than Lenalee's…with wide sleeves. V-neck…no, turtleneck. Definitely turtleneck…and boots, maybe …"

Krystal looked concerned, "Um…excuse me?"

"Oh," Johnny looked up, "I was thinking about what kind of uniform you should have."

"Uniform?"

"All the exorcists wear the same jacket," Lenalee explained, "but they're personalized, so they're all unique."

Krystal nodded, "I get it."

Johnny was fishing a measuring tape out of his pocket, "If you would come with me to the science department, I should be able to whip you up a uniform in about…I'd say an hour and a half."

Krystal nodded enthusiastically, "Of course," she got up and followed Johnny, waving to the other exorcists, "I guess I'll see you later."

Lenalee waved back, "Good luck."

Johnny led Krystal into a room off the main science department wing filled with fabric, sewing machined and thread. He turned to Krystal, "Just stand on that platform," he pointed to a wooden platform in front of a three-way mirror. "I'll sketch up my idea."

Krystal stood on the platform, and Johnny grabbed a pencil and paper. He began sketching, occasionally asking questions about style preferences and taking measurements.

Ten minutes later, he showed her the finished sketch. The sleeves were wide and loose-fitting and the neck was a cross between a turtleneck and a crew neck. The torso was fitted closely, but still allowed for plenty of movement. There was a line of silver buttons across the left side, creating a border for the rose cross over her heart. The skirt was about knee-length and pleated.

Krystal looked at it, "I think a belt, maybe," she mused, "white leather."

Johnny nodded and sketched it in, "Good idea. It'll define the waist better."

She frowned slightly, "There's something else. The black-and-white thing feels…oppressive," she thought of Lavi's scarf, "Do you think we can throw in some color?"

Johnny nodded, "Like a scarf?"

"No," she shook her head, "a scarf would get in then way of my Innocence. Maybe…leggings. Striped leggings."

"Striped leggings?" Johnny asked dubiously.

Krystal nodded fervently, "Sea green and white."

Johnny shrugged and added them to the sketch. "Like that?"

Krystal beamed, "Perfect."

Johnny gathered the materials and sat at the sewing machine, explaining the different types of fabric and how the exorcist jacket was built to withstand heavy combat as well as day-to-day wear. After two hours of chattering and sewing, Johnny pulled the finished product off the table, "It's complete."

Krystal slid into a side closet and changed into the uniform. The fabric was warm and soft, yet at the same time, very strong and durable. She pulled her hair out from under the collar and stepped out.

Johnny's face lit up, "See for yourself."

She turned to face the mirror and gasped softly. Facing her was no longer Krystal, the mute music director of a travelling circus. Standing in the mirror was Krystal Cyra, member of the Black Order and an exorcist with a mission. She smiled, he voice weak, "Thank you."

Johnny pulled out a pair of black boots, "These should fit you."

The boots were soft and fit perfectly. They could either be worn pulled up to the knee or slouched down around the ankle. Krystal kept them down and pulled Johnny into a hug, her lilac eyes shimmering, "Thank you so much."

Johnny returned the hug, "It's the least we can do for the exorcists."

Krystal left Johnny and the science department, wandering the corridors, lost in thought. Her boots made no noise as she walked aimlessly. Eventually, she found herself at the large oak doors of the chapel. She pushed open the doors and slipped inside, relishing the cool air, lightly touched by incense.

She wandered toward the large pipe organ at the front. She flipped through the book of sacred music lying open in front of her. Her eyes scanned the sheet music familiarly. Her eyes landed on one piece that looked interesting.

After experimenting a few times with her voice and finding an octave that suited her, she sang the opening notes in a low octave, drawing them out up and down her range, "Kyrie Eleison."

The air suddenly felt alive as she sang, adding layer upon layer of sound. She switched to a higher octave and sang in harmony with the first notes, "Christos Eleison." The room felt electrically charged as she directed wave after wave of sound, filling the chapel with her bell-like voice. She experimented, the notes seemingly hanging in the air awaiting direction.

Her throat warmed as the Innocence assisted her, directing the sound waves and forming notes. Soon the sound of a full choir filled the chapel, the notes ebbing and flowing with her emotions. They swelled to a crescendo, then faded away, leaving the air light and ringing.

A patter of applause broke out from behind her. Komui, Lenalee, Lavi, Bookman, Daisya, Kanda, Marie and General Tiedoll were standing at the door of the chapel watching her.

Lenalee smiled, "We didn't know where you were, so we followed the music."

Komui spoke up, "That was amazing, you were singing in harmony with yourself."

General Tiedoll was equally impressed, "That was absolutely beautiful, Krystal."

Krystal smiled, "I think the Innocence helped."

Marie nodded, "I heard something there that definitely wasn't a single voice."

"If she can control the Innocence to this extent," Komui mused, "it will be interesting to see what it can do in a fight situation." He snapped his fingers, "Which reminds me, I hate to rush you into this, but I have a mission for you, Krystal. We're going to find out very quickly what your Innocence can do as an exorcist."

* * *

Yay Jerry and Bookman! And failure, Miss Lenalee, for tossing Krystal's clothing.

So, I haven't decided where or with whom Krystal is going on her first mission. If anyone has ideas, comment or PM. =D Last chance to name Kanda's golem! Vote early and vote often, people!

Much love,

~~BJ


	13. Innocence, Volcanoes and Golems

Well, I didn't notice, but Totally CRAZY and Hyper got the 50th review! Thanks!

Anywho...the votes are in, and Kanda's golem is officially un-officially named Olaf (details below) Thanks to everyone who voted! I also have a picture of Charlotte up on deviantART, again, if anyone cares. It's pretty easy to imagine. I was bored.

Gyah! It's Krys's first mission! They grow up so fast. I remember like it was yesterday when I was still figuring out her anti-akuma weapon! She was so cute when she was a little plot bunny. I have pictures!

Krystal: No. *burns pictures* They don't need that.

Me: ...it's not like I had any early character sketches.

Kanda: Just get in with it.

Me: Oh, fine, since everyone's being moody... is this about Alma?

Krys and Kanda: Just do the disclaimer!

Me: Fine, fine...be that way.

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino, not me.

Disclaimer (part deux): Krystal, Harrison, Charlotte and Count Olaf IV belong to me, so back off.

* * *

Komui led the seven exorcists into his office, where Reever was posting more maps on the already crowded wall. Krystal sat on one arm of the small couch, with Lavi, Daisya and Lenalee sitting on the cushions. Kanda, Marie and Bookman stood behind the couch. Komui pulled out a stack of thin black booklets and set them precariously on a pile of papers.

"Our Finder teams have reported three new Innocence fragments throughout Europe. One in Madrid, Spain; one in Milan, Italy; and one near the volcano Borgarvirki in northern Iceland. With the addition of three new exorcists, I've decided that it will be best to pair the junior exorcists with senior exorcists for their fist mission. Lavi and Bookman will go with Lenalee to Madrid, and Kanda and Krystal will go to Iceland. Marie and Daisya will be sent to Milan. The briefs are on the desk. Are there any questions?"

Kanda picked up the two black books labeled "Borgarvirki" and tossed one to Krystal. "What are the akuma levels in Iceland?"

"There appear to be twenty or thirty level one akuma, under the control of two or three level two," Komui said, "The Finder team said that Innocence was causing the volcano to erupt irregularly. The area is fairly deserted, but if the lava flows much further, it will start impacting towns and cities."

Kanda nodded, "I see. When do you need us to leave?"

"ASAP," Komui said, "let me brief the other two teams; then I have something for Krystal before you two leave."

Krystal flipped through the brief while Komui explained the other teams' missions. Borgarvirki was a volcanic mountain on the north shore of Iceland. Pictures showed it as a basalt face over an empty plain. Lately, large clouds of black smoke had been obscuring the cliff face, and large amounts of gas and magma had been seeping from the otherwise dormant volcano.

Daisya and Marie left, leaving Krystal and Kanda the only exorcists left in the office. Komui rummaged behind his desk for a moment, dislodging a pile of papers, sending a white cascade across the floor. "I know it's here somewhere," the supervisor's voice drifted up, "Reever brought it in before we went to find you. Ah," he appeared from behind the desk, "here it is." He opened his hands and a small black bat fluttered out, flitting around the office.

The bat landed on Krystal's shoulder, causing her to flinch. On closer examination, she realized that it wasn't a bat, but rather an oblong device with a white lens for a face and a pair of black wings. Krystal marveled at the soft mechanical whirring of the black thing. She raised a finger to touch it and it nuzzled her finger like a puppy. Krystal grinned in delight, "It's adorable."

"Communication golems are standard equipment for exorcists," Komui explained, "they allow you to contact Headquarters or any of the other branches around the world. They also allow short-range communication in case a team gets separated. Some of our most advanced technology has gone into the creation of golems."

Krystal nuzzled her golem, "They're so friendly,"

"It seems to have taken a liking to you," Komui observed. "Well, that's that. Harrison, your finder will be waiting for you in the canals. Good luck on your mission."

Kanda swept out of the office and Krystal gave one final wave to Komui, "We'll be back soon."

They left the main hall of the Order through the same set of stairs they had entered a day and a half ago. As the pair of exorcists descended towards the docks, Krystal looked at her golem appraisingly, "Charlotte," she announced.

Kanda looked up at her, "What?"

"Charlotte. That's the name of my golem."

"You've named your golem?"

"She's an invaluable asset to the mission. She deserves a name." Krystal paused, "Don't you have a golem too?"

Kanda reached into his pocket and pulled out a golem similar to Charlotte, except that it was perfectly circular and slightly larger. The golem flapped its wings a few times and hovered by its owner's shoulder.

Kanda pushed open the door leading to the docks. Standing by a small boat similar to the one they had arrived on was a finder with dark brown hair and strong green eyes. His hands were rough-hewn as he shook Krystal's hand, "Good evening, Miss Krystal, I'm Harrison, and I'll be escorting you to Reykjavik."

"Nice to meet you, Harrison." Krystal stepped lightly into the waiting boat, and Kanda stepped down beside her.

Harrison rolled out a map and traced a line, "We'll catch a train in London and travel all the way to Thurso, in Scotland. Then we'll catch a boat from Thurso to Reykjavik, where we'll meet up with the other finders. From there, we'll travel inland to the volcano. All in all, it's about a day and a half of travel both ways."

Kanda nodded, "Sounds good."

Harrison pulled the boat away from the dock and Krystal looked back at the towering structure of the Black Order. _My first mission as an exorcist_, she thought. _A new chapter in my life_.

* * *

They arrived at the train station in London just as the sun was setting. Kanda walked up to the conductor of the London-Glasgow train, "We need a private cabin for three," he said coolly.

The conductor looked at him disdainfully, "And I need a hundred guineas, kid, but we can't get what we want."

"You can if you're with the Black Order," Kanda replied smoothly.

The conductor did a quick double take at the rose cross on Kanda's uniform, then glanced over at where Krystal and Harrison were examining the timetables. He visibly paled, "I'm so sorry, Master Exorcist. Please, bring your companions here. We have an excellent cabin available for the entire trip."

Kanda nodded, "Thanks." He walked over to Krystal and Harrison, "We're getting on this train."

Krystal cocked her head slightly, "But there's a direct line from London to Thurso in two hours."

"Yes," Kanda sighed, "but this train will take us to Glasgow _now_. We'll catch a train to Thurso from Glasgow."

Harrison nodded, "Sounds good enough."

The still pale conductor led the three to a private compartment with polished mahogany panels and dark-blue velvet seats. Harrison seated himself outside the compartment, "In case anyone tries to delay our progress." He explained.

Krystal stretched herself across the seat, facing Kanda on the other side. He leaned against the window, propping his chin up with one hand and holding the brief loosely in the other. The train pulled out of the station.

"So why are we investigating a volcano?" Krystal asked, rolling Charlotte across her palm, "Isn't that more of a thing for scientists?"

Kanda tossed the brief aside, "How much do you actually know about Innocence?" he asked.

"About," she measured a half inch between her fingers, "that much."

Kanda rubbed his temples with is free hand, "He had to put me with the rookie," he muttered.

"Hey," Krystal sat up, "'rookie'? We're partners now, so if I can't get some decent amount of respect, we're not going to get anything done."

Kanda raised an eyebrow, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "You're _demanding_ respect?"

"I'm _demanding_ that you don't patronize me," she said heatedly, "equal respect can come later."

Kanda stared at her for a moment, the conceded, "Fair enough. It's rare that anyone asks for respect, let alone earns it. They just expect you treat them as equals before you know them."

"One of the first rules in an orchestra," Krystal said, easing her position, "is give respect, and you'll get it back."

Kanda nodded approvingly, "Good rule."

Krystal smiled slightly, "Age and experience doesn't matter. Skill does. That's why I was in charge." She changed subjects, "Anyway, back to my question, why are we investigating volcanoes?"

"The basic theory is that Innocence was meant for use by humans," Kanda explained, "after the flood, the Innocence washed away. Over time, it has evolved to attract humans to use it, so strange things began to happen around Innocence. The Order sends finders to investigate anything out of the ordinary. If it really is Innocence, the Earl sends akuma to retrieve and destroy it. That's where exorcists come in. We destroy the akuma and bring the Innocence back to the Order."

"Finder units can stay in an area for months investigating phenomena," Harrison's voice drifted in from the corridor, "My unit was in Iceland since February following the lead for the volcano."

Krystal watched as twilight settled over the countryside, "So any weird happenings could be caused by Innocence?"

"Most aren't, though," Harrison said, "many leads turn out to be local legends or superstitions."

Krystal turned over and slipped Charlotte into the gap in her boot. She looked over at Kanda's golem, which was resting on top of the discarded brief. Her face lit up, "Olaf," she said.

Kanda looked up, "What?"

"Olaf," she nodded towards the spherical golem, "after my great uncle, Count Olaf IV."

"You're related to a Count?" Kanda asked disbelievingly.

Krystal nodded seriously, "I didn't know him well, I only met him once at my eighth birthday. He was a world traveler, and brought me a mango from the Caribbean." Kanda looked at her, his mouth slightly agape. "Shortly after that, her renounced his title and moved to Argentina to farm alpacas," she continued. "That was the last time I heard from him. He was trampled by a llama two years later," she paused, "or did he participate in musical dramas? I forget." She shrugged.

Kanda stuttered, "Are you serious?"

Krystal nodded, "Serious as being trampled by a llama." She coughed, "Damn, I was wondering how long I could keep my Innocence activated. I'm at my limit. Ah, well, I might as well sleep." She touched her throat lightly and closed her eyes momentarily. She opened her eyes and smiled, _Good night_, she signed; and rolled over with her back to him.

Kanda spluttered, "Were you really serious about your great-uncle Olaf?" he asked.

_Sleeping_, Krystal signed loosely.

Kanda leaned back in his seat, muttering darkly to himself and Harrison shook outside the compartment with silent laughter.

It was around one o'clock when the train pulled into the station at Glasgow. Kanda slid open the compartment door and stepped out, stretching.

Harrison peered into the small room, "She slept the entire way?" Kanda nodded. "Don't you think we should wake her up?"  
"You can try," he said, stepping off the train, "she sleeps like the living dead."

Harrison stepped into the compartment, "Miss Krystal," he shook her shoulder lightly, "we've arrived in Glasgow. You need to wake up."

Krystal shrugged his hand off and continued sleeping. Kanda waited outside the window, looking anxiously at the clock. "We're going to miss the train," he shouted through the glass, "Get up." He hammered on the window.

The sound of the pounding glass tore Krystal from her sleep and she unconsciously punched the wall of the compartment with a resounding thud. She shuddered slightly as she dislocated two of her fingers. She shook her hand loosely, grabbed her bag off the seat, and jumped of the train.

She stormed to meet her fellow exorcist, her hands flying wildly as she cussed him out. Her right hand was tense from signing with two dislocated fingers. –_sleeping and you just pound on the glass like you're on some sort of life-important schedule_-

"We are on a schedule," Kanda shot back, "you were holding us up."

_**Holding you up**_, she signed incredulously, _I was asleep, and now I have two dislocated fingers_-

Kanda snatched her hand out of the air, "Hold still." He took her hand in his and made a quick motion, snapping the fingers back into place.

She staggered where she stood, her mouth agape as she exhaled. She touched the base of her throat and gasped, "Ouch."

"They're not dislocated anymore," he said coolly, "don't go punching walls anymore. Now come on, we have a train to catch."

Harrison stepped off the train, "Are we going now?" he asked.

Krystal stared after her partner, "I'm really starting to want to punch him again," she fumed.

"'Again'?" Harrison asked, "you've wanted to punch him before?"

"When we first met," Krystal explained, massaging her sore fingers, "I took a swing at him. He almost broke my arm."

Harrison winced, "I've worked with Kanda once or twice before. He can be…abrasive sometimes."

Krystal watched from a distance as Kanda arranged their trip from Glasgow to Thurso, "Abrasive is an understatement. He's aggressive, moody and has little to no people skills, but he knows what he's doing; which is why I respect him as an exorcist. As a human being," she counterpointed, "I really want to kick his ass."

Harrison smiled and patted her shoulder, "Good luck with that."

Kanda waved them over, "The train to Thurso is leaving in fifteen minutes. Let's go." Harrison nodded and followed the dark-haired exorcist. Krystal made strangled noises, silently cursing her position and reluctantly followed as well.

The compartment was similar to the one on the train form London to Glasgow. The seats were upholstered with forest green velvet, rather than dark blue. Krystal slid onto one bench and Kanda resumed his position across from her.

"Déjà vu," Krystal muttered.

"It gets that way sometimes," Kanda shrugged.

"Let's mix things up," Krystal suggested, "I slept from London to Glasgow, so you sleep from here to Thurso. You need sleep too. I'll keep watch."

Kanda looked at her for a moment, as if deciding whether or not the suggestion was a trap. Whatever he saw, apparently, was satisfactory, "Fine."

Krystal smiled softly, "I won't cut your hair while you sleep. That's just Daisya."

Kanda scowled, "Thanks for reminding me. I still need to kill him when we get back."

"Don't kill him, it was all fun and games."

Kanda simply _tch'd_ and settled into his seat.

The train's whistle blew as it pulled out of Glasgow into the dark Scottish countryside. Krystal pulled Charlotte out of her boot again and started tossing her in the air and catching her in the other hand. After a few minutes, the golem started adding flips and spins to the routine.

After one particularly outrageous spiral, Krystal looked over to Kanda, "Hey, Kanda did you see that?" No answer. "Kanda," she turned to him, "I asked if- oh."

Kanda was fast asleep across from her, leaning against the cool window, his breath fogging up the glass. His bangs had fallen across his face, blowing softly with his calm, even breathing. Dangling loosely in one hand, his sword dangled unsteadily. Krystal gently removed the sword from his grasp. He shifted slightly in his sleep, but didn't wake up. She propped the sword against the wall and returned to tossing her golem in the air, occasionally checking over on her partner.

Abrasive? _Yes_. Anti-social? _Absolutely_. Human, like everyone else? _Undeniably_.

* * *

Shhh. He's sleeping! He's so cute when he sleeps!

Krystal: Yeah, I guess.

Save that for later, I thought you wanted to kick his ass?

Krys: I do.

You're too complicated.

Krys: Who made me up?

Point.

Well, That's all for now. Thanks for all the support, you guys really are great! Any ideas for future missions are welcome and appreciated, as I only have so much brain space. =D

All the art for the story is located on deviantART, and the link is on my profile.

~~BJ


	14. The Journey Continues

I'm a horrible person. Tuesday night, I had massive writer's block. "Ok," I figured, "I'll write and post late on Wednesday." heheee. Well, halfway through Wednesday, I lost power. Then my laptop battery died. I regained power at 4 am today. You can't write this stuff *is shot* So this chapter is short and kind of lame, I really don't like it. Forgive me! I'm off to camp this Sunday, so I'll have limited access to internet, so I don't know when/if I will update, but I shall try my best!

But you don't care about my issues! Let's deal with Krys's issues! A super-special thanks to XxHikari17xX who did a fan art piece for Kanda and Krys on dA! Thanks! I'll put the link up on my profile.

Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray-Man. But you already knew that =D

* * *

The sun was just breaking over the horizon when they arrived in Thurso, Scotland. The town was the last city on the island before the North Sea. It was a small fishing town, with occasional boats across the sea to Iceland.

"Kanda," Krystal lean over to wake the sleeping exorcist, "wake up." He shifted slightly in his sleep, but other than that, there was no change. She snapped her fingers, "Rise and shine, Yu. Welcome to Thurso."

He opened one eye groggily, "Don't call me that."

She blew a strand of hair out of her face, "But you woke up. Let's go."

He stood up, running one hand through his hair, "Middle of nowhere, isn't it?"

"That describes what I saw of most of Scotland north of Glagow," Krystal shrugged, opening the compartment door, "we should be able to catch a boat to Reykjavik when the sun's up all the way. In the meantime, we can find breakfast."

They found Harrison outside the train, speaking into the phone attached to the apparatus on his back. He nodded, "I see…of course. I understand…I'll tell them…around eight o'clock. Of course…thank you…goodbye." He hung up the phone. "I was connecting with Headquarters before we boarded the boat to Iceland. They said that the amount of level one akuma has gone up to fifty or sixty now. I've arranged our passage on a boat to Reykjavik in two hours, and it's a bout a twelve hour journey."

Kanda nodded and Krystal spoke up, "So now that we have two hours to kill, let's find some breakfast."

Harrison nodded, "I noticed a bakery up the road from the wharf."

"Sounds good," Krystal set off down the cobblestone road.

Kanda turned to Harrison and raised an eyebrow. The Finder simply shrugged.

Krystal spun to face them, the rising sun catching the light orange highlights in her red hair, "Well, are you coming?" Kanda sighed, and followed her up the road.

The bakery was a small, low-ceilinged building on the edge of the wharf. The owner of the shop was a white-haired man in his sixties. He had glimmering, bright blue eyes and rosy cheeks, giving the impression of a thin, flour-stained Santa Claus. He smiled as Krystal poked her head in the cool shop, "Good morning, young lady. Come in, come in. If you're here this early, you must be travelling."

Krystal smiled as she held the door for Harrison and Kanda, "We have been travelling, sir. We're on a bit of a schedule and were wondering is we could find some breakfast before catching a boat to Reykjavik."

"Of course," the old man said, "I'm always open for beautiful young people such as yourselves."

Pink spots appeared on Krystal's cheeks, Kanda just sighed. The old man, who Krystal learned whose name was Archie, gave them a discount because Krystal alone bough enough for three people.

Archie watched with a smile as Krystal worked her way through her fourth bagel, "You sure eat a lot young miss."

She smiled, "It's genetic, I guess." Kanda rolled his eyes and took another sip[ of coffee.

"So what brings you young people all the way out to Reykjavik?" he asked, "Not eloping, are you?"

Kanda sprayed coffee across the table and Krystal started choking on her bagel. Harrison ran over and thumped her on the back. Kanda mopped coffee off his face, "What possessed you to think that?"

"Well, you're around the same age that my wife and I eloped. That's how we ended up way up north."

Krystal gasped for air, "We're actually up here for work."

"Oh," he said, "that's not very exciting."

"I wouldn't say that," Krystal said, "our jobs can be interesting." The banter continued back and forth until Harrison pointed out that they needed to catch a boat.

They said their good-byes and left the bakery into the bright morning sunlight. They were twenty yards away when Harrison doubled over in laughter. Kanda scowled, "What are you laughing about?"

"I just can't get over the fact that he thought the two of you were eloping," he said, gasping for breath.

Kanda sighed and Krystal rolled her eyes.

*insert line break here*

The trip to Iceland took twelve hours, most of which was spent on the deck by Krystal. "I've never been on a boat," she explained. She enjoyed the rush of wind through her hair and the kiss of salt spray on her cheeks.

When they arrived in Reykjavik, the sun was still relatively high in the sky. "What time is it?" Krystal asked.

"It's really around seven o'clock," Harrison explained, "but during the summer, the sun stays out longer than on the mainland."

"That gives us more daylight to get to the volcano," Kanda said, looking up at the sky, "let's get going."

The houses in the city were brightly-colored wood homes lined up in neat rows. The road out of the city towards the north sloped up gently. "Once we get a few miles out of the city, we'll meet up with the rest of the team," Harrison explained, "from there, we'll take a direct line across the plateau to the volcano."

There was no definite end to the city, but it gradually faded into cool countryside. Krystal shrugged her jacket tighter around her, "It's awfully cool for August, isn't it?"

"Iceland's southern half is just below the Arctic Circle, and the rest is on or above it. The high for the year is about sixty degrees in July, and it drops from there."

"It _drops_ from sixty?" she said, aghast.

Kanda raised an eyebrow, "You're not accustomed to cold weather, are you?"

She rubbed her hands together, "Southern Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Greece," she ticked off countries, "none of those places have cold winters. I've seen snow…once; when we were in north Poland."

Harrison stopped and looked around, "My team said they'd be in this area."

Kanda shrugged, "Maybe they got lost."

Harrison shook his head and picked up the phone on his back. "Finder Harrison looking for Reykjavik squad….Hello? Hello? Chris? Are you there?" He hung up, "Dammit, they're not picking up."

A spot of grey on the green landscape caught Krystal's eye, "What's that?"

Harrison ran towards the spot, followed by Kanda and Krystal. As they approached, the smell of smoke became evident along with the heady smell of akuma gas. They crested a ridge and looked into a small ravine. A wagon lay tipped over in the ditch, its canvas cover shredded. White robes lay apparently abandoned around it. Piles of ash-colored dust covered the ground.

Harrison covered his mouth, "Mother of God."

"Akuma," Kanda noted.

"What do we do now?" Krystal asked

"We finish the mission," Kanda said coolly. He turned to Harrison, "You know the way to the volcano, right?"

Harrison wiped a single crystalline tear from his tired face, "Yeah, we should get going before it gets to cold." He turned north and Kanda began to follow.

Krystal hung her head, "I'm sorry we couldn't have come sooner," she said.

"Krystal, are you coming?" Kanda called back.

"How do you just go on?" she asked, her voice thick. "We could have helped them."

"But we didn't." he said, "Now we have to focus on the mission. Death happens in this line of work. We stop it where we can, and when we don't, we need to look ahead. Don't linger on the past. Now come on."

* * *

Again, I know it was awful. But review please? Reviews make me feel better.

~~BJ


	15. Doubt and Trust

I'm back! I am so incredibly sorry for my unexpected two-month hiatus. camp only lasted a month, but then I git into school and writers' block, and it was not pretty, I tell you. On the plus side, I got a boyfriend in my absence, so I will be able to wirte relationships (cough KandaxKrystal cough) better than I had originally planned! =D

But no excuses! So I give you what I hope will be a fantastic chapter, with some plot movement, some action, some drama, and a tiny eensy-weensy smidgen of romance.

Krystal: Tell them about dA!

Right! in my absence, I have updated my deviantART account with tons of new pictures of Kryastal and Kanda. A bunch of readers have seen them, but if you haven;t, the link is on my profile! Please to be visiting! There will definitely be more on the way!

So, being chapter 14, I'm pretty sure we all know I own nothing D. Gray-Man related (but I finally got volume 10!) Kanda and the gang belong to Hoshino-sensei. Krystal, Harrison and the owl-akuma are mine, dammit!

Enjoy!

* * *

As the sun began its slow descent to the west, casting their shadows ahead of them, the air took on a chill, and their breath became misty in front of their faces. Darkness descended and Krystal's teeth started to chatter, "Is the volcano much further?"

Harrison looked up to get his bearings, "It's about two miles north of here." He pointed, and in the distance, Krystal saw the vague shape of Borgarvirki looming on the horizon.

As they neared the volcano, Krystal began to make out details of the volcano. It towered over the barren landscape around 600 feet tall. Its striated basalt face was carved in various places with large alcoves.

The ground beneath them began to tremble. Steam began rising from crevices in the ground as molten lava began gushing from the ground and sides of the volcano. Bright orange and sooty red lit up the silhouette of the mountain and covered the ground. The eruption continued for twenty minutes before the night breeze began to cool and harden the magma into a new layer of ground.

"That happens often," Harrison explains, "the constant state of eruption make the volcano difficult to enter, but now that the akuma are looking for the Innocence, it's become nearly impossible to enter."

"How do we get in?" Kanda asked.

Harrison pointed at the base of the cliff, "A thousand years ago, the Vikings used the mountain as a fortress. There's an entrance at the bottom that we believe the akuma haven't found yet. From there, there are a series of tunnels leading to the center, where we believe the Innocence is located."

A squad of level one akuma drifted past the entrance of the cave. The two exorcists and finder stilled, not daring to breath. They waited two minutes after the akuma had passed before deciding that the coast was clear. Kanda drew his sword silently and nodded to the others. The trio ran silently across the space and closed the gap in a few seconds. They pressed their backs to the cool basalt face and inched towards the gap in the cliff.

The inside of the volcano was moderately cool and damp, more like a cave than the entrance to a volcano. Harrison led the way through the winding passages and the atmosphere became warmer and drier. The passage opened into a large cavern with three tunnels branching off in different directions.

Harrison held out an arm to stop their progress and held a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. Krystal raised an eyebrow and the finder pointed towards the cavern. She strained her ears and heard the metallic voices of two level two akuma coming from the opposite direction.

"Are those grubs ever going to be done mining the Innocence?" one voice rasped.

"They're only level one's," the other said, "how fast do you expect them to work? We've been digging at that piece of rock for almost two weeks. They should be done by sunrise."

"Good," the first akuma began tromping away, "I want to get the hell off this island as soon as possible. I'm freezing my ass off."

The pair of heavy footsteps faded away down one passage and the second akuma's voice drifted back towards them, "Whiny bastard." The second akuma drifted in the other direction, leaving the exorcists in silence.

Harrison let out the breath he had been holding, "So we know that there are level one akuma mining for Innocence somewhere in the volcano."

"So all we need to do is find out where and retrieve the Innocence," Krystal said.

"That could take hours," Kanda objected, "we only have until sunrise, not to mention the eruptions."

Krystal looked down for a moment, her forehead creased. She snapped her fingers, "I've got it." She inched closer to the opening of the passage and looked down the tunnel the second akuma took. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth slightly

"Hey," called the first akuma's voice, "where do you think you're going?"

Harrison froze and Kanda muttered, "Idiot," under his breath.

The second akuma answered, "I'm going down to check on the level one's to see if they've made any progress. What right do you have to question me?"

The first akuma's voice was hostile, "One of the patrols thought they saw a group of guys in white cloaks. I'm just making sure the perimeter hasn't been broken. So the level one's are down where you're going?"

"Yeah, where else would they be?" The second akuma scoffed lightly and left.

Krystal smiled and the voice of the second akuma chuckled darkly. She walked back to where Harrison and Kanda were waiting, "Let's go."

"How did you do that?" Kanda asked.

"You know how some people can throw their voices, or do imitations of people? It's kind of like that except I changed my voice to match that akuma's wavelength and pitch exactly."

Harrison looked at her, wide-eyed, "That's amazing. I didn't know you could do that."

Krystal shrugged, "I had been thinking about the idea of manipulating sound for a bit. When I was in the chapel, I found out I could use more than one voice in harmony."

Kanda drew his sword, "Let's go. We don't have time to sit here and chat."

They crept down the winding passages, pressing themselves against the walls now and then to avoid detection. As they drew closer to the center of the volcano, the air grew thick and smelled of sulfur and ash. Krystal drew the collar of her jacket around her mouth and nose and Harrison did the same.

The passage opened up into a wide cavern filled with ruddy light. Below them, twenty level one akuma in their human form hacked at the opposite wall with pickaxes. The level two Krystal had talked to earlier hovered over them, calling out orders. Its form was distinctly owl-like with large talons gleaming wickedly in the red light.

"Faster," the level two called, "we haven't got all day. Come on you worthless buckets of machinery, we need that Innocence by morning, or the Earl himself is going to come and blow this mountain sky-high with us in it."

Krystal's eyes widened, "Do you think the Earl will really come?"

Kanda's eyes glinted, "It doesn't matter. As long as we get the Innocence before the akuma do and get out, the Earl can do whatever he wants."

Harrison turned to the two exorcists, "So what's the plan?"

Kanda looked out at the scene below, then at Krystal, "How many akuma can you take out?"

Her eyes widened, "I'm not really sure. I haven't specifically targeted akuma before, so I never measured. I think I can take out the level one's in about five minutes if I focus."

He nodded, "I'll distract the level two and take on any other guards that might come. You take care of the workers."

"What should I do?" Harrison asked.

"Cover the entrances. I might be able to take on the guards, but not all at once. Block off the other passages with talismans."

The finder nodded and slipped down into the cavern below. Krystal swung her legs over the edge and followed, careful not to displace any stones beneath her. She landed softly at the base of the cavern. The level two akuma still had its back to her. She crept closer to where the level one's were working and crouched behind an outcropping of rock.

There was an explosion as the white creatures called "Hell's Insects" tore through one of the worker akuma. The level two swiveled around, "What just happened? What's going on?" Kanda jumped from the ledge into the cavern, his sword almost flickering with an eerie light. The level two shouted, "An exorcist? What are you doing here?"

"I came for the Innocence," Kanda said menacingly.

The akuma cackled and swooped lower to meet Kanda, "Too bad, exorcist. This Innocence has been claimed for the Earl!"

Kanda swung at the akuma, but it blocked with its talons and made a snatching grab for Kanda's shoulder. He ducked away swinging only to be blocked again by the akuma's talons. Krystal watched the two as neither seemed to get the upper hand. She blinked and realized she also had a job to do.

She closed her eyes and pictured the notes form the missal in the chapel. She began humming the melody and concentrated on the voices around it. The tenor voice rang with rich, bell-like notes accompanied by airy sopranos. Mellow altos and round, deep basses completed the harmony. She opened her mouth, preparing to sing the first notes when her air was cut off by a strong mechanical hand.

The level two she had impersonated had snuck up behind her and grabbed her around the chest, forcing the air out of her lungs. "Hiding, little exorcist?" it asked threateningly. She struggled against his grip, but he only squeezed harder, laughing cruelly, "It's no use, girly. I'm going to squeeze you to death."

A sharp pain in her chest told her one of her ribs had just broken and small black dots began appearing in her field of vision. _I'm going to die_, she thought_, on my first mission_.

An explosion and a ripple of heat sent Krystal to her knees. She sputtered, gasping for breath. Kanda kicked aside the twisted debris of the akuma, "What the hell were you doing?" he shouted, "This isn't time for daydreaming." A thin cut ran down one side of his cheek, trickling blood onto the Rose Cross on his chest. "Now finish what you started."

The level one akuma were transforming around her, turning onto spore-like balls. She got back on her feet and focused again on the harmony. She breathed in, ignoring the pain in her chest and sang; the notes reverberated around the room making the humid air shimmer. The alto line rose and fell melodiously and the sopranos reached for the sky. The basses and tenor blended together in a mellow post. The voices rose as one in climax and the air shattered, sending the akuma smashing into walls and each other, exploding on contact.

The air settled and the dust cleared. Kanda nodded and picked up one of the abandoned pickaxes and swung at the red rock. Sparks flew and a chunk of rock dropped to the ground, revealing a hollow cavity. Kanda reached in and pulled out the glowing fragment of Innocence. He examined it briefly and slipped it into his pocket. "Let's go," he said simply.

Harrison was waiting for them at the opening of the tunnel, "Did you get it?" Kanda nodded. "Ok, let's get out of here before the next eruption."

They stepped out into the cool night, the sweat cooling on their faces. Krystal shivered slightly, pulling her jacket tighter around her body. They spent the night walking quickly in relative silence, crossing the plain in hopes of reaching the city before dawn.

The sun was breaking pale and bleak over the eastern horizon when the skyline of Reykjavik came into view. Krystal stopped in the road and turned her head east and said quietly, "The Finders."

Kanda stopped, "What about them?"

"They're just beyond that ridge," she pointed towards the rising sun, "we should at least mark the grave."

Kanda sighed, "We need to get back to the Order."

"The Order can wait," she said adamantly, and stepped off the road to where the wagon lay overturned, surrounded by abandoned white robes. She collected bits of debris from the wagon and wildflowers growing in scrub by the side of the road. Humming a lament in a minor key, she set to work making seven rough-hewn wooden crosses, each decorated with a small ring of flowers. Harrison collected the uniforms to bring to the Order for identification later. By the time the sun was fully up, the wreckage had been turned into a makeshift gravesite, with the crosses arranged in a close semicircle.

Krystal bowed her head and whispered "Thank you. You didn't die in vain."

Harrison's eyes were full as he spoke in a choked voice, "They were the bravest team anyone could ask for. I'm sure they went down fighting."

Kanda nodded solemnly, saying nothing, his face impassive.

Krystal rose, brushing dust from her leggings, "Let's go." Kanda swept around, leading the way back to the main road. A thought occurred to Krystal. "Kanda," she said, "That akuma cut your face, right? It looked pretty deep. Do you need a bandage or something?"

"It's fine," he said over his shoulder.

"What do you mean, 'it's fine'?" she caught up to him, "It was pouring blood."

"It healed."

She stopped in front of him and examined his face. Where the gash had been an hour ago, new skin was stretched across his high cheekbones with no evidence of injury other than the blood on his uniform. "You were cut," she said.

"I told you, it healed," he pressed on.

"Why do you have to be so secretive?" she asked.

"Why do you feel the need to know everyone's business?" he counteracted.

"I'm your comrade, if not your friend," she said, "If there's something you're keeping from me, how can I trust you when we fight together?"

"You'd be stupid not to," he said simply.

"That doesn't answer the question," she deplored, jogging to catch up with him, her broken rib making her breath shallow.

He stopped, "Stop running, you'll only make the injury worse. When we get into town, you should get it wrapped until we get to the Order. And about whether or not you can trust me, I would think saving your skin from that akuma would prove that you're not going to die on my watch. Did you think that people keep secrets not for their own pleasure, but for other people's safety and reputation?" He looked at her face, "I didn't think so. My healing has nothing to do with you, and it actually has very little to do with me. Let's just leave it at that. If you're really curious and you make it, ask me in two years."

"Kanda," she said, apologetic, "I-"

"Shouldn't you save your voice?" He said, "You can't put it away like a normal weapon."

Her lilac eyes were stunned as she deactivated her Innocence.

* * *

The small boat bumped against the dock at the Black Order. Krystal looked up at the now familiar tower of the looming building. As they ascended the winding stairs into the main part of headquarters, Harrison got a call on the apparatus he carried on his back.

"I have to report to the Science Department immediately," he explained, hanging up the receiver, "One of you bring the Innocence fragments to Hevlaska, Komui should be waiting for you at the elevator." He opened the door into the main foyer, "I'll see you around, congratulations on your first successful mission, Miss Krystal."

Krystal smiled, _Thank you_.

Kanda turned to her, and reached into his pocket, "Take the Innocence to Hevlaska for storage, Komui will show you what to do." He placed the fragment in her hands. She felt the warm energy radiate from the small glowing material and shivered slightly. "I'm going to sleep now, we don't know when our next mission will be, so rest while you can."

He was about to leave when she looked up and signed, _Kanda_.

He raised an eyebrow curiously, "What was that sign?"

_It was your name_, she explained. She drew her left hand across the air in front of her chest, and then brought both hands crossed at the wrist to her chest over her heart. _It describes who you are to me_.

"What does it mean?" he asked.

She made the first motion, _This is what you do to activate your Innocence. You're a strong, proficient fighter_. She made the second motion, _This means "dear", or a close friend. Even though you keep secrets, I know I can trust you with my life in a situation_.

A strange expression played across his face, not quite a smile, but it conveyed a sense of contentment, or peace. He made the motion, "My name," he said quietly.

She smiled and nodded. _I'll take the Innocence to Komui, you get some rest_.

He nodded, running his hand through his long hair, "Right. See you in the morning. You need some close-combat training, and I'm going to teach you basics. Meet me in the training room after breakfast."

She nodded, _Goodnight Kanda_.

"Goodnight."

* * *

So, what do youthink? Reviews are appreciated as always. I'm also putting another poll up soon, since Olaf has been named, so keep an eye out for it! =D

Well, that's it. We have now (finally) returned to our weekly updating schedule. So I'll see you fabulous readers next week! And for anyone who was curious, The title of this chapter is also the name of the third opening for the DGM anime, Doubt and Trust, by Access. In case anyone was curious, becuase there's also Krystal's trust issue with Kanda-chan. I thought it fit really well. And it's a good song.

Peace, Love and Literature!

~~BJ


	16. Introductions

I'm going to be honest. I don't like this chapter. It feels really filler-ish, and annoying. But it makes important connections for later, so bear with me ^^

Anywho, on a more important note, I'm moving the posting schedule form every week to every two weeks. I realized that with school and my ridiculous schedule, I can't post decent sized and quality chapters every week. So from now on, I'll post every other week with hopefully longer and better proofread chapters! ^w^

Anyone read the new chapter of DGM? HOLY CRAP.

Disclaimer: D. Gray-Man belongs to Hoshino-sensei. Not me.

* * *

The next morning, early morning sunlight streamed through Krystal's window, waking her from an otherwise undisturbed night's sleep. She stretched, wincing slightly, due to the tight bandages wound around her torso. The head nurse said she'd need to keep her ribs wrapped for several weeks to ensure full recovery. This news also meant that she wouldn't be able to go on another mission for at least three weeks.

She looked out the window into the misty forest below. _I really need some curtains,_ she thought. A disturbance in the trees sent a flock of birds scattering into the sunlight. She looked down to see if she could discern what sent the sparrows flying, but all she saw was a fleeting glint of silver, disappearing as quickly as she saw it. She opened the wardrobe to find two or three outfits hanging on the rack, a note stuck to the mirror:

_Krystal-_

_I got your measurements from Johnny and bought you some clothes for when you're not on a mission. Hope you like them,_

_~Lenalee_

Krystal smiled and pulled out a simple white button-up shirt and black pants. She dressed carefully, to avoid loosening her bandages and tugged on her boots. Touching the base of her throat gently, she activated her Innocence and hummed a few bars to make sure it was working right. She retrieved Charlotte from her spot in her uniform jacket pocket and slipped her into the gap of her boot. Tying her hair up with one hand and opening the door with the other, she stepped out into the corridor.

The hallway leading towards the chapel, dining hall and training area was buzzing with noise as about twenty people dressed in black spilled out of a side door. Among these people was General Tiedoll, who was talking animatedly to a blonde woman dressed in the black and gold uniform of a General.

Tiedoll saw Krystal getting caught up in the flow of people and beckoned her over. As she neared, she caught snatches of his conversation, "My newest student…first girl in a while…"

"Good morning General Tiedoll," Krystal said brightly.

"Good morning Krystal, this is General Klaud Nine, one of the other Exorcist Generals at the Order."

The female General looked at Krystal and smiled softly, "I heard you arrived a few days ago with Froi. I was going to ask Komui if you could train under me, but he said that General Tiedoll had got to you first." Her voice was soft and melodious and when she turned to look at Tiedoll, Krystal noticed that under her long bangs, her face was criss-crossed with shiny burn scars.

"Well, you already have three lovely apprentices, Klaud," Tiedoll objected jokingly, "and you are training the newest exorcist, Gwen, wasn't it?"

General Klaud smiled, "Gwen fit right into our team. In fact, she, Sol and Tina just got back from a mission, so you might see them." She turned to Tiedoll, I need to go speak with Winters, he's been completely terrorizing my apprentices." She left, her heavy boots making her footsteps echo through the corridor.

Tiedoll turned to Krystal," So how was your first mission? Yu didn't run you into the ground, did he?"

"Kanda? No," Krystal said, "The mission went really well. We retrieved the Innocence and got rid of the akuma."

General Tiedoll smiled approvingly, "I thought you'd do well, though I heard you were injured?"

Krystal smiled wryly, "I broke a few ribs, but that's nothing compared to what the Finders sacrificed."

Tiedoll's eyes shone, "That's true. I knew that team quite well. But we're bound to have casualties in a war, and our job to stop them as best we can."

Krystal nodded, "I see."

General Tiedoll put a warm hand on her shoulder, "Now why don't you get some breakfast?"

Krystal looked up, "I think I'll stop by the chapel first, and light a candle for the Finders and my family."

He nodded, "Good girl. I'm sure they're watching over you." He walked down the hallway after General Klaud and Krystal continued in the direction of the chapel.

The cavernous room was deserted again, and the smell of candle wax still hung in the air. Krystal lit two candles on a side altar, one for her family and friends, and on for the Finder team. Grey smoke curled in the air as she shook out the match and slid into a pew.

She closed her eyes. _God. If you're listening, watch over the Order and all the Finders. Look out for the exorcists and Generals and the science department, who work so hard trying to do your will. If you see my friends and family, tell them I miss them and I hope they're proud of me. Especially look after General Tiedoll, Daisya, Lenalee, Lavi, Jerry, Komui, Reever, Harrison and Kanda. Amen._

A cough brought Krystal back from her thoughts. Standing at the back of the chapel was a tall man with blonde hair and a toothbrush moustache. His face was lined and angular and his eyes were a cold steel grey. His suit was dark purple and it was adorned with various medals and ribbons. When he spoke, there was no warmth and only the slightest trace of humanity, "What were you doing?"

Stunned, Krystal replied, "I was praying."

The man looked at her, "Who are you?"

"My name is Krystal Cyra," she said, offering her hand, "I'm a new exorcist. I only arrived at the beginning of the week. General Tiedoll is my master."

The cold man did not shake her hand, but instead asked, "Miss Cyra, to whom were you praying?"

Krystal was confused. "I was praying to God," she said simply.

"But as an Apostle of God, Miss Cyra, shouldn't you know which God you are praying to and working for?"

This question bothered Krystal. "I just pray to God. Before I came to the Order, I met Christians, Jew, Gypsies and witches who all prayed to God, and I don't think He ignores them depending on what they call Him."

The man raised one eyebrow sharply, "You should watch what you say, Miss Cyra. Apostles of God are not ones who should be uttering such blasphemies."

Krystal's eyes widened and she was about to retort when the door to the chapel opened and Komui stuck his head in. "There you are, Inspector Leverrier. I was looking for you. Our new members from the Bookman Clan are here, if you wish to speak to them."

"Yes," Leverrier said, "I will be there."

Komui turned to Krystal, "Ah, Krystal, I see that you've met Inspector Malcolm C Leverrier. He is the Order's liaison to the Vatican and has contributed quite a lot of effort in the war against the Earl."

Behind Leverrier's back, Krystal saw a hint of what looked like a grimace cross Komui's face, but it was gone when Leverrier turned around. "Well, Komui, we don't want to make the Bookmen waiting, do we?"

"Yes, of course. Krystal, why don't' you go down to breakfast?"

"Right…" Krystal looked back over her shoulder at Leverrier as she left the chapel.

As she walked by Komui, he whispered, "He's leaving today, don't worry," and gave an encouraging smile.

The dining hall was buzzing with its normal morning activity as Krystal entered. From her right, she heard Jerry call, "Krys, honey come over here a moment. I have something you might like!"

She turned towards the window into the kitchen and leaned on the counter, "Hey Jerry, what's up?"

"Well," he said, skillet in one hand, bamboo tongs in the other, "Komui told me you're a singer, so you're more likely to drink tea over coffee, right?"

Krystal nodded, "Yeah, coffee dehydrates you, so it messes with your pitch. I heard a lot of actors and singers complaining about it at the circus."

"Exactly," the chef said. He ducked under the countertop and reappeared with a large glass canister of coarse brow flakes, "I was in town the other day, and they had this imported from the Mediterranean, here, smell it." He flipped open the clasp of the canister and held it out to Krystal. She inhaled the scent and smiled. It was a mixture of sweet, heady vanilla, sharp mint and black tea.

She smiled, "That is absolutely amazing, what is it?"

"Vanilla mint tea," he said, shutting the canister, "I had a hunch you would like it, so I set a kettle to boil, and it should be ready now."

She grinned, "Jerry, you are too awesome for words right now."

She navigated her way to the table where Lenalee was sitting. Balancing the plates on her arms, she set them down on the table. Lenalee looked up, "Oh hey, Krystal. How did your first mission go?"

"Really good," Krystal replied, taking a bite of toast, "we just got in last night. You don't know how long it takes ribs to heal, do you?"

"What happened? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"It's just two ribs on my right side. The nurse said three weeks, but I don't want to not go on another mission for three weeks."

Lenalee shrugged, "I don't know. Three weeks sounds about right, but you might be able to get another mission earlier."

Krystal sighed and continued eating as Daisya walked in and sat down next to Krystal. "Good morning, all," he said, making a grab for Krystal's toast, "how are we this fine morning?"

Krystal moved the plate calmly out of the Turkish exorcist's reach, "If you want toast, you need to get it on your own. I'm not running a charity."

"Oh, hi Daisya, how was your mission?" Lenalee cut off Daisya's plea for toast.

"It was great," he said, leaning back in his chair, "we actually just got back. Marie went upstairs to get some sleep, and I came down here to see who was up. I saw Kanda trouncing in when we got back, so he'll be down soon, I think."

"In? Why was he outside?" Krystal asked.

"I'm pretty sure he gets up at the crack of dawn and goes out to train in the woods," Daisya shrugged making another grab for the toast.

Krystal stabbed her fork dangerously close to Daisya's hand, "Try it again, Daisya," she warned, "and I won't miss."

Daisya cackled as Lavi slouched in and sat down next to Lenalee. He blew a strand of hair out of his face and leaned his head against his hand.

Lenalee looked at Lavi, "You look really tired."

Lavi sighed, "I am really tired. The old panda had me up until all hours of the night researching after we got back, then we had to talk to some guy form the Vatican, and I got about half an hour of sleep."

"Guy from the Vatican?" Daisya asked, "Who?"

"Some French Inspector with a toothbrush moustache," Lavi said, "starts with an 'L'"

Lenalee's fork clattered onto the table, "Leverrier?"

Lavi nodded, "Yeah, him."

Lenalee looked nervously at the door, as if expecting Leverrier to walk in any minute. "Krystal," she said nervously, "remember I said I'd take you shopping? Since you won't be on any missions, and I have the day off today, why don't we go into town? And we can take along General Klaud's apprentices too."

"Um, sure." Krystal said, "But Kanda wanted me to train with him today."

"You can't train with broken ribs," Lavi pointed out.

"How did you know my ribs were broken?"

"I heard Komui talking about it to the head nurse." Lavi shrugged.

"Lavi has a point," Daisya said, "you might as well take a day off."

"Ok," Krystal shrugged.

Lenalee smiled nervously, "I'll tell my brother and get Klaud's girls. I'll meet you at the front door in five minutes." She got up and left in a hurry.

Daisya looked after her, "I wonder what got into her. The moment you mentioned that Leverrier guy, she freaked out."

Krystal nodded, "I met him before I came down to breakfast. He's not exactly the friendliest guy. But I don't know why Lenalee reacted like that." She got up, "I'll see you guys later, and if you see Kanda, tell him where I'll be."

Lavi looked at the half stack of toast, "Are you going to finish that?"

She pushed the plate towards the red head, "Here."

Daisya made a strangled noise, "What?"

"He asked for it. You didn't."

Daisya laid his forehead on the table and laughed, "You win this round, Krys."

She smiled winsomely, "I try," and walked out of the room.

* * *

I know it's not great, but it will be better next time! But polite reviews are always appreciated! ^w^

Until next time!

~~BJ


	17. False Alarm, Sorry

Hey Fantabulous Readers!

Well, I really hate to say this. Silent Music is going on an indefinite hiatus. Junior year is really starting to get to me and with all the stress I have, I don't want to let Krystal suffer because I'm in an emotion spiral. Until I get back on my feet, I'll be going over previous chapters and doing some serious down and dirty proofreading. There won't be any huge plot changes, but I'm going to tidy up the grammar and make the characters (hopefully) a bit more IC. The end of chapter 15 will definitely be redone.

This isn't goodbye, because I will die before I let this thng go unfinished. I will definitely come back, and when I do (again, hopefully) the story will be better than ever.

So stick with me for a while - I'll be turning out some other, smaller fics along the way - and I'll get out of this emotional funk soon enough.

Sorry to the people whose reviews I haven't responded to, mainly Eris92 and hashire. I will get to them eventually. XD

Thanks for putting up with me,

~~Brigette Janine


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